


Nothing Left

by RogersBz14



Series: Us Against the World [2]
Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - Fandom, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Erik is not a Happy Bunny, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Guilt, Hurt Peter Maximoff, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Poor Erik, Poor Peter, Surprise Cameo, Teamwork, Whump, dadneto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-05-29 04:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6358693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogersBz14/pseuds/RogersBz14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Father and Son, versus The God and The Revenant. </p><p>Pietro Django Maximoff and Erik Lehnsherr face off against Apocalypse, an omnipotent mutant hellbent on cleansing the earth of the weak, and some of his followers. However, their confrontation have unexpected and devastating consequences, prompting Erik to reflect on what it means to be a hero, a mentor, and, most importantly, a father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Standoff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all :0)  
> It's been a while, hasn't it? In all honesty, I've been too occupied with college :/ I apologize to those who have been following any unfinished stories. I'll try to update them as soon as I can.
> 
> So, as many of you have seen, I wrote an original story titled X-Men: Apocalypse. That story is complete, but there is one part of the story that has been bothering me, which was Erik and Pietro's confrontation with Apocalypse. The events that unfolded in my published story are actually far different from what I originally had on my hard drive. So, after spending endless nights scolding myself for not publishing that version, I decided to publish it as (an) alternative chapter(s) :D
> 
> For those of you who have followed X-Men: Apocalypse since the beginning, then you will understand what is happening ;) For those of you who may come across this, as well as the original story, for the first time, I recommend you take a glance at my finished story. I think the events that unfold here will make much more sense :) That said, I will try to write this story as it's own story, if that makes sense. Meaning, I'll update any unfamiliar readers with what has happened. The reason I want to post this version is because of the following reasons:  
> 1.) I wanted Erik, Pietro, Apocalypse, and the surprise guest to have more interactions. I feel like I brushed off a potentially pivotal moment in Erik's life :/  
> 2.) I SEVERELY underused Psylocke in my original story. This update will give her a more bigger role, as well as introduce the full extent of her powers.  
> 3.) I think this will be far more emotional than what I originally posted. This chapter may not hold the most emotions, but future chapters will definitely amplify dadneto moments <3  
> 4.) The dialogue in the original version seemed... off :/ I'm hoping that this version will not be as cliche  
> 5.) I just needed to get this version off of my chest (and hard drive) before I went insane!! 
> 
> I will try to update this story ever (other?) weekend :) Thanks for your patience and support :D
> 
> Warning: Grammatical/Spelling Errors and possible OOC-ness!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!!

There were some titles Erik Lehnsherr despised, and there were others he valued.

While prejudice titles such as  “mutant terrorist”, “freak”, and “monster” -- which were created by homosapiens -- often supported his judgement of humankind, there were some statues that he considered honorific. He took pride in being called a “mutant advocate”, an “ally”, a “mentor”, a “friend”, a “brother”, and, perhaps the most important one of them all, a “father”.  
The more optimistic statuses came from his friends back at the mansion, where he and his best friend, Charles Xavier, have spent the last few weeks training new and old mutants, brothers and sisters. He and Charles acted as mentors to the young and old mutants who were affected by the devastation En Sabah Nur has left during his rising. The newest recruits, like Scott Summers, Doreen Green, and Dallas Gibson, gave him the title “mentor”. Charles, as well as Alex Summers and Hank McCoy -- two men Erik had encountered and mentored long ago -- , now saw Erik as an “ally”, and even “friend”. However, the title he valued with all of his being, and the one that always put the biggest smile on his face, was given to him by a silver-haired speedster with whom, since their first encounter, he has developed a strong and personal bond with. The title “father” was given to him by his one and only son, Peter (or as he now calls himself, Pietro) Django Maximoff.  
Yes, Erik Lehnsherr was seen by many as either a hero or an enemy. However, no matter the perspective, Erik still had some standards he had to uphold for both parties. To make his enemies cower in fear, and to make his admirers proud, Erik needed to be poised and dignified at all times. He needed to be balanced, calm, and confident under any circumstances. Erik Lehnsherr needed to appear invulnerable.  
However, after hearing an all-too familiar voice echo throughout the depths of En Sabah Nur’s hidden lair below the Gaza Pyramids, everything that he trained himself to be in the eyes of his allies and enemies -- balanced, immune, confident -- vanished instantly.

That voice. That suave, unremorseful, and cruel voice. That voice, after all of these years, continued to send shivers down Erik Lehnsherr’s spine. That voice, which currently bounced off the cave walls, conjured up some of Erik’s darkest memories That voice, which relentlessly mocked and tormented the young boy in Auschwitz so many years ago, unleashed rivers of rage through his body. That voice belonged to a man who has continued to drive Erik’s desire for mutant domination. That voice belonged to the monster who destroyed everything the metal-bender held dear to him -- his identity, his freedom, his dignity, and his mother. That voice belonged to his tormentor, his enemy, his advisor, his creator. That voice belonged to-

“Shaw…” Erik breathed out.  
“It’s fantastic to see you, my son!”  
“Impossible.”  
“Anything is possible, mein haustier.”  
“I killed you.”  
“I’m afraid not.”  
“I killed you!” The self-assurance in Erik’s voice was now waivering. “I drove the coin straight through your skull! I saw the light leave your eyes! You cannot be alive!”  
“I can and I am.”  
While the tense exchange was transpring, Pietro’s focus was on Erik; more specifically, Erik’s drastic change in attitude. Throughout their time together, Pietro always saw poise in Erik’s eyes. Even when they shared their moments of vulnerability, Erik always had balance and control over the emotions he chose to unveil. Today, however, things were far from normal. All composure and equilibrium, both physical and spiritual, vanished. When Shaw began to circle the duo -- like how a wolf circles its prey, testing the victim’s weakness right before the kill --, Erik’s body went tense, while his eyes reflected how little control he had over his emotions. That’s when it hit him: the bravado Erik has always carried was merely a mask. The mask incomparably hid the scarred and tormented man who was still hurting from the damaged inflicted on him in the past. The mask kept vulnerability at bay.  
Witnessing this unfamiliar side of Erik ignited an odd feeling inside Pietro. Although the idea that his father endured incomparable persecution filled Pietro with abhorrence, the silver-haired mutant found comfort in witnessing this substitution of pride and confidence. This hidden side showed how big Erik’s heart is capable of being, and how fragile it can be. This fear Erik finally allowed himself to project made him human.

“So,” the stranger continued while scanning Pietro from top to bottom, “you’re Erik’s son. I’ll be honest, I’m struggling to find any resemblance.” His blue eyes stopped at Pietro’s own dark brown ones. “Although, you do have your grandmother’s eyes.”  
“Don’t you **dare** talk about her,” Erik snapped.  
The mask was back in place.  
“Who the hell are you?” Pietro asked.  
“I’m terribly sorry! I’ve forgotten my manners.” A surprisingly smooth hand was extended towards the younger mutant. “My name is Sebastian Shaw.”  
Pietro’s mind suddenly clicked. Flashbacks of his conversation with Erik in April appeared before him. Sebastian Shaw, the man who killed Erik’s own mother right in front of him before torturing and experimenting on the traumatized boy minutes after. It was because of him that Erik became the cold-hearted yet damaged man knew today. Because of Sebastian Shaw, Erik abandoned his own child, forcing him to be fatherless for nearly twenty six years. Pietro used this revelation to more carefully examine the man.  
Shaw was a well-groomed brunette, wearing a wine button down shirt with a navy blue jacket. His black suit pants and dress shoes were extremely clean, contrasting the dirt floor beneath them. What really struck Pietro’s attention was the man’s smile...it was a smile he saw plastered on the faces of corrupt politicians, self-righteous police officers, and sadistic doctors like the ones back in Providence. In short: that smile was always seen on the faces of assholes.  
Pietro’s soft eyes hardened and he found himself glaring dangerously at Shaw. His facial expression alone said everything Shaw needed to know from now on: I know what you did to Erik and if you hurt him again, you're dead. Despite his glare, Shaw’s behavior did not falter.  
“I see Erik has updated you on our… relationship.”  
“Damn right he did.”  
Shaw snorted. “Did he ever mention my abilities? Did he ever refer to the gifts I possess?”  
“...No?”  
Shaw made a tsking sound. “Meine Laborratte, I’m very disappointed in you.”  
On that remark, Shaw began to make his way to Pietro, his hand extended right towards his head. Realizing Shaw’s intentions, Erik pulled his son protectively behind him. He then summoned all of the metal he could find, save for the contemporary pyramid, and launched it at his enemy. To his surprise, Shaw dodged the incoming element with a flick of the wrist. It shocked Erik; how, after all of these years, how did Shaw possess so much power? He’s grown since their encounter in Cuba, yet the former Nazi remained dominate. Before he could try again, Erik saw his former “creator” touch his son’s forehead, launching the silver-haired mutant into the ancient staircase with a loud smack.  
Pietro didn’t know what happened: one moment he was standing behind Erik, and the next he was airborne before smacking into the stairs behind him. As he laid dazed against the blocks of stone, Pietro could still feel that incomprehensible amount of energy that surged throughout his body. It was like being electrocuted. It was only when he felt Erik’s arms loop themselves around his back, pulling him into a sitting position, that Pietro snapped back into the present.  
“I possess the ability to absorb all kinds of energy and transform them into raw strength. So, what is your-”  
Shaw’s sentence was cut off by a sudden and painful force hit him, causing him to fly into the staircase opposite of the duo. Pietro stood above Shaw, anger clearly written in his eyes.  
“I’m able to move faster than the speed of sound.”  
Despite the attack, Shaw let out a bark of laughter before standing up, brushing off Pietro’s retaliation as if it were dust. “My oh my, Erik, I can tell this lad is yours. He has your resilience, rage, and charisma.”  
There was now a standoff: father and son versus the God and the revenant. The tension, which was fueled by pasts and desires, was more suffocating and poisonous than carbon monoxide. The silence was so prominent that even the softest drop of water falling from the stalagmites echoed throughout the environment. Hell, even the thunderous pounding of Pietro and Erik’s heartbeats could’ve been heard. The silence was broken by a thunderous laugh released by Apocalypse, causing Pietro and Erik to take an unconscious step backwards.  
“I value these little moments,” the First One began. “It is rare for me to see a mutant express so much fear.”  
“Well, if you didn’t slaughter half of the mutant population, then I’m sure this occasion would become daily.” Pietro shot back.  
“Gentlemen, as much as I would love to continue this exchange, I’m afraid that time is running short. Shaw, if you please…”  
As soon as those words left Apocalypse’s mouth, Shaw began to approach Erik once again. This time, however, Pietro beat him to it and charged right at the his opponent. He put in all of his weight and heart into this shove, so the shock was obvious when he found himself frozen mid stance. No matter how hard he tried to move, the invisible force prevented him from doing so. Then, a young woman with dark hair mixed with purple streaks, slowly revealed herself.  
The hand that wasn’t outstretched at Pietro held a purple katana. The weapon was charged with what Pietro assumed was purple kinetic energy. Her eyes, however, were completely green. Shaw reached behind him, silently beckoning the possessed mutant. Then, when his outstretched hand returned in front of Pietro, it was engulfed in the same purple energy surrounding the purple katana.  
“You may be familiar with the functionality of my powers,” Shaw cooly said. “But I don’t think you understand just how far my powers extend.”  
Pietro watched as the purple energy in Shaw’s hand shrink into a little ball the size of a ping-pong. “Holy shit,” he breathed out.  
And then, with a tap to the forehead, Pietro’s body was consumed in unimaginable quantities of energy, sending him dozens and dozens of feet into the air. Right when his back and head sharply connected with one of the stalagmites, Pietro was swallowed by darkness.

Erik watched in horror as his son was catapulted into the air with a mere touch. His eyes never left Pietro as the mutant smacked into the stalagmites above them, before rolling down the last flight of stairs. Oblivious to Shaw and Apocalypse’s presence, the metal-bender ran towards his motionless son, who laid on his side at the bottom of the staircase.  
“Pietro,” Erik called as he slid to his son’s form. “Pietro, can you hear me? Sohn?”  
He turned his son onto his back and began to gently shake him. When Pietro didn’t rouse, Erik began to shake him even rougher. The mutant then began to gently tap his son’s checks, occasionally running his hand through the silver locks in the process. It was during the fourth time Erik stroked his son’s hair that he felt a warm, sticky substance coat his palm. Retracting his hand, Erik saw blood. At that moment, Erik’s world went red.  
“Sentiment has always made you weak, Erik.”  
Before Erik could put together the words, he himself was also flung into the air. Even with the Earth’s magnetic field, Erik still couldn’t position himself in time to prevent himself from flying ungracefully in the air. Suddenly, he smacked against one of the cave’s walls, slumping to the ground in a messy heap. Stars and black dots danced around his vision while blood began to trickle down the back of his neck. His helmet, as handy as it was, didn’t seem to provide him any kind of padding. Suddenly, the familiar light weight on his head was removed and he saw Shaw place the helmet onto his long brown hair. Erik was about to lunge viciously at the bastard when he felt an invisible force prevent him from moving. His eyes held accusation and hate, but they narrowed when they saw Shaw simply shrug his shoulders.  
“This isn’t my doing,” Shaw calmly said as he looked to his left.  
Erik followed Shaw’s gaze and froze at what, or rather who, he saw. A young female with unbelievably beautiful orange hair staring at him with emotionless (and pupil-less) green eyes that glowed like a nightstick. She was wearing a tight green and yellow jumpsuit. Her right hand was extended directly at him, meaning that she was the one pinning him against the wall.  
“Erik,” Shaw began, “I would like to introduce you to Ms. Jean Grey. Despite being only seventeen, her abilities already surpass a thirty year old’s.”  
_‘There she is,’_ Erik thought. ‘ _She’s the other-_ ’  
“I refuse to accompany you and your son with your rescue mission,” Jean said in a monotone voice.  
“How did you know that-”  
“She’s a telepath, Erik. Stronger than you and Charles will ever know.” Shaw kneeled down and gently cupped the side of Erik’s head. “You’ve grown, mein sohn. Your priorities have changed. Then, you were driven by vengeance and closure. But now, sentiment has consumed you. Sentiment for Charles, Raven, and your son.”  
Erik looked over Shaw’s shoulder and saw Apocalypse approaching Pietro, who remained unconscious. “Apocalypse, I swear to God, if you lay a single hand on him, I’ll-”  
“God?” Apocalypse asked. “What God? The God who has remained silent in the sea of calls for mercy, forgiveness, and assistance? The God that has continually shunned mutant kind, generation after generation? The God that has turned his back on humanity all of these months?” Apocalypse looked at Erik, who continued to struggle against Jean’s hold like a savage. “I will answer the cries from humanity. I will be the enforcer of justice, vengeance, and death. I will be the figure all living beings will be forced to look up to. I **am** the supreme God.”  
When Apocalypse kneeled beside Pietro, his muscular hands tenderly stroking the silver-hair and cupping Pietro’s lolling head, Erik let out a carnivorous snarl. However, it was Shaw’s balanced voice that forced him back into the present.  
“After all of this time apart, the world of Erik Lehnsherr has changed. Which can only mean that his fears have also evolved into something far more complex.” Shaw turned to the possessed mutant. “Miss Grey, I would like to visit the mind of meine laborratte. Dig into the far depths of his soul and extract his biggest, most shattering fears. Do not show any mercy.”  
As Jean knelt in front of Erik, the metal-bender mustered all his strength to free himself from her hold. “Don’t!! Verdammt, lass mich gehen!”  
As Shaw leaned forward, Erik looked back at his son, only to be greeted by a different sight. Dallas, who had shifted from his shadow form back to his human form, stood protectively over Pietro, who was ever so slowly beginning to come to. The fear that both Dallas and Pietro would be slaughtered overwhelmed Erik. However, it was Shaw’s whispered, chilling words that halted Erik’s world.  
“Sie brechen, Erik. Das verspreche ich…”

Before Erik could reply, he felt two fingers press against the side of his head. His world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shrugs shoulders* Well, what do you think so far?
> 
> Questions/Comments/Concerns/Insults/Thoughts of Love?? Please feel free to write 'em down in the comments below :) I love reading them and they usually help improve my writing! Any feedback is welcome :D
> 
> Take Care and Party Hard :0)


	2. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all :0)
> 
> To make up for my lack of writing these last few days, here is a long chapter!!!  
> Like I said in the first notes, this is an AU scenario for my original story, X-Men: Apocalypse. If you take a glance at the original before reading this, then everything here will make sense :)
> 
> Warning: Grammatical/Spelling Errors and possible OOC-ness!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!!

_Erik opened his eyes and found  himself standing in front of a burning motel. As his vision cleared, the metal-bender noticed that the cobblestone street was littered with the bodies of his fellow brothers and sisters. No matter which direction he turned, bodies seemed to appear in his line of vision and plop down in front of him. The smell of blood and smoke burned his senses, making him gag. He scanned the bodies and saw a lot of familiar faces: Orono, Scott, Alex, Hank, Cain, and more. However, the body who caused his heart to stop in fear and grief was-_  
_“Charles!” he screamed._  
_He ran past the bodies and slid onto the ground beside his bleeding friend. The wounds that covered Charles perfectly matched the ones that covered Mayra’s body back in D.C. However, he was dressed in the jumpsuit he and the others wore back in Cuba. Erik nearly hyperventilated when he saw blood staining his friend’s teeth, face, and hair. He carefully lifted up Charles’ upper body into his arms and looked desperately into his blue eyes. Erik tried to say something, anything to keep his friend conscious and alive, but he just couldn’t get a single word out. He couldn’t even get himself to wipe some of the blood off of Charles’ mouth. Before he could try again, Charles’ gritted something out between his blood-stained teeth._  
_“Y-You d-did this t-t-t-to me.”_  
_“I… I’m so… Charles…” Erik looked around frantically, hoping that someone would come and aid his hurt friend._  
_“Sh-She’s i-i-in th-the m-mot-tel.”_  
_Erik snapped his head at the burning building and saw a little girl with brown hair screaming from an open window. Behind her, flames were roaring loudly and consuming everything behind her at an alarming pace. He looked at her helplessly, not wanting to let go of his dying friend._  
_“Papa!!”_  
_Erik connected the dots and realized who he was staring at. Still not wanting to move away from Charles, who’s become more limp, he screamed her name._  
“ _Anya!!!"_  
_The sound of Anya’s scream continued to roar in his ears, almost causing him to double over in agony. He looked down at his friend’s corpse and was about to pull his limp body up against his chest when he suddenly heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. He slowly tore his eyes away from Charles and found himself staring at a large mob consisting of Nazi soldiers, American cops, poor rioters, and scientists. To his surprise, they weren’t yelling at him, beating him, or taunting him. They just stared at him with looks of satisfaction, anger, and fear. They all carried weapons, some more advanced than others, that were made from a variety of material-- wood, glass, and plastic, to name a few. He made the move to address them, but a hand suddenly appeared in front of him. The hand smacked into his face and forced him backwards. However, instead of feeling cobblestone against his backside, he felt damp wood instead. Also, instead of feeling Charles’ cold body in his arms, he found that his arms were strapped with leather and plastic wires to the wooden surface. He lifted his head and found that the scene that was in front of him moments ago was now replaced with a cold, dark, and damp hallway._  
  
_His arms and legs were tightly strapped against the metal table, preventing him from moving. His instincts took over and he struggled against his bonds. His head thrashed from side to side frantically while the rest of his body thrashed as well. A firm hand rested on top of his head, preventing him from moving any more, and was then quickly replaced with a leather strap. Another strap also was placed across his stomach: he was now completely immobilized. The only thing he could look at was the moss-covered ceiling with fluorescent lights dangling above him. His world began to move at a nauseating pace, causing him to shut his eyes in pain. Despite his dark vision, Erik could feel the wooden table moving._  
_“W-Where are you taking me?” When no one replied, he tried again. “Please, where are you taking me? What happened to Charles?”_  
_Realizing that no one was going to answer his questions, he began futile attempts to escape the moving table. Like he predicted, he couldn’t escape and now felt blood seep through the leather material due to his skin rubbing painfully against the restraints. His eyes shifted from left to right and he saw the faces of many starved, exhausted, beaten, and tortured residents of Auschwitz staring at him emotionlessly. After a couple more moments of rolling and watching lights and camp residents quickly travel through his line of vision, the table came to a halt. The leather strap holding his head in place was removed and he instantly shot his head up in order to look around. He quickly realized that he was in a research lab that looked very similar to the one he was placed in back in Auschwitz. He turned his head to the left and saw body bags hanging from the white ceiling, each one containing familiar faces: Magda, Mayra, Angel, Banshee, Azazel, Emma, Charles, Raven, and Hank. All of their eyes were open and lifeless, burning a hole in his already damaged heart. He looked downwards and saw his son shirtless and dangling from the ceiling, his wrists and ankles wrapped tightly in metal cuffs. Pietro’s back was covered with surgical scars, burns, black bruises, and fresh blood. His son turned his head as back as he could and met his father’s eyes. Erik felt his heart break when he saw the desperate and horrified look Pietro was shooting at him._  
_“Pietro,” Erik shouted from where he was lying, “I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Just hold on!”_  
_"Th-They know," Pietro stuttered in pain._  
_He tore his eyes from his son’s terrified look and stared at a small figure dressed in a lab coat and a man dressed in a military uniform standing beside each other looking at a clipboard._  
_"The facts don't lie," the smaller man said. "Peter Maximoff is a blood-relative of Erik Lehnsherr."_  
_"So what do you suppose we do?" the other man asked._  
_"I propose we see just see how fast this speedster really is. If we think he's another useless freak in society, we'll kill him right here. But, if we think he's just as powerful as his father, then we'll use him to our advantage. Create a weapon of some sort. Sound like a plan?"_  
_The man in uniform let out a sadistic smile and then then pulled down a lever. Instantly, Pietro’s body started to jerk and wrench violently. Erik automatically knew that Pietro was being electrocuted and fought harshly against his bonds._  
_“Don’t! You’re killing him! Stop!!! Please!!!”_  
_The two men standing beside each other briefly looked at Erik before they smiled and turned up the voltage. His son’s grunts of pain turned into screams. Pietro’s frantic and desperate movements made him look like a moving blur. The men, who Erik deducted were Trask and Major Stryker, remained oblivious of Pietro’s screams and continued to turn up the voltage. Erik felt tears slide down the side of his head and he felt sobs threaten to come out of his mouth. He swallowed them all and forced himself to look down to his right. His eyes caught the body of his mother, the bullet hole still fresh in her stomach, lying right beside the wooden table on the floor. She still wore the clothes she was given at the camp and her eyes still held the fear and pain that she felt back in the camps._  
_“Mama!” he yelled through gritted teeth._  
_He felt a hand roughly grab his chin and force him to look back upwards at the blinding light. The light, however, was replaced by the sadistic face of Sebastian Shaw, who was holding a sharp-looking scalpel in his right hand. Erik’s breathing hitched dramatically._  
_“Kleine Erik Lehnsherr.”_  
_“Herr Doktor, bitte nicht! Bitte!!”_  
_“Sie werden jetzt zu mir als Ihr schöpfer beziehen.” The tip of the scalpel was pressed painfully against his bare chest. “Ich bin dein Schöpfer.”_  
_“Y-You’re my creator,” Erik whispered in defeat while tears continued to slide down the side of his face._  
_The scalpel dug deeply into his chest, tearing through skin and flesh. For the first time since his mother’s death, Erik Lehnsherr screamed._  
  
Someone ran him over with a truck. No. Someone hammered a nail right into his skull. How else could Pietro explain the nauseating and splitting headache. After a few moments of weakly lolling his head from side to side, the silver-haired mutant forced his eyes to open. When the scene in front of him stopped moving in and out of focus, Pietro felt his heart stop.  
Dallas was facing Apocalypse, who loomed over the two of them like a mountain. Pietro could see his friend’s hands shake out of fear. Yet somehow, the younger mutant held his stance.  
“You are nothing but an ant,” Apocalypse growled. “Do you really think that an ant can stop a God?”  
“I-I can try,” Dallas responded, his voice wavering.  
It was when Apocalypse raised his humongous fist into the air that all of the nausea and black dots flushed themselves out of Pietro. The silver-haired mutant quickly stood up, scooped Dallas into his arms, and bolted it to the far end of the cave. When the reached the wall, Pietro leaned heavily against the solid support, which Apocalypse’s hand slammed right into the ground, creating a crater.  
“Are you okay?” Dallas squeaked.  
“Yeah,” Pietro replied, hissing when he felt blood stick to his hair and neck. “I’m fine.”  
“I could’ve protected you.”  
“You did protect me! You stood up against Apocalypse while I was down. You gave me enough time to regain consciousness.” Pietro smiled. “You’re one of the bravest mutants I’ve ever known.”  
“Really?”  
“Absolutely. But now’s not the time to be brave, okay? Now’s the time to be smart.” Pietro looked down at Apocalypse. “Stay here.”  
“Wh-What are you going to do?”  
“I’m going to free that mutant with the purple hair.”

When Pietro charged back towards Apocalypse, he was greeted with a large hand grabbing his slim throat. Being lifted into the air, the silver-haired mutant struggled to free himself from the mutant’s grasp.  
“You’re fast,” Apocalypse hissed in amusement, “but I’m much faster.”  
Black dots were beginning to swim across Pietro’s vision. His desperate gasps for air were silenced by his own heart pounding against his ribcage. The grip he had around Apocalypse’s wrist began to weaken. Pietro could feel the life slipping out of his body. Suddenly, the grip around his throat completely vanished, making Pietro fall onto the dirt ground in a messy heap. He crawled away from the omnipotent mutant, gasping for air, and watched as Apocalypse pulled out a huge stalagmite from his wrist. Dallas suddenly shifted back into his human form and stood beside Pietro, who reeked of guilt and confusion.  
“Dallas?! I told you to stay up-”  
“I’m not watching another friend leave me!” Dallas suddenly shouted.  
Before Pietro could respond to the surprisingly emotional statement, Apocalypse threw the remainders of the rock right at the duo, prompting the runner to once again pick up Dallas and run. When they were a safe distance, Pietro bent down to Dallas’ level and placed firm hands onto the younger mutant’s shoulders.  
“Dallas, what the hell were you thinking? You can’t just act on impulse and blindly throw yourself into danger!” He stopped his scolding when he saw tears form in the corner of the mutant’s eyes. “Hey hey hey, what’s the matter, kiddo?”  
“E-Ever since Apocalypse rose, e-everyone I’ve ever cared about left me. Th-They either died, o-or they w-went missing.” He looked at Pietro. “You’re like the big-brother I’ve always wanted… and if I lose you too, I… I don’t think… I won’t-”  
Pietro, touched and heartbroken over his friend’s confession, pulled Dallas into a tight hug. He smiled when he felt Dallas’ face bury itself in the crook of his neck.  
“It’s okay, Dallas. There is no way in hell that I’m going to leave you.”  
“That’s what they all said, too…”  
“Listen to me very carefully; I need you to be safe for me, okay? I care about you just as much as you care about me, and it’ll kill me if I lost someone like you to a battle like this. Please… I need you to stay here and keep an eye out for any other intruders. I will deal with Apocalypse.” The older mutant could feel Dallas tighten his hold. “I’m not going anywhere.”  
Dallas, although still not convinced, nodded his head in confirmation. If they weren’t currently battling an enormous and powerful mutant, along with his two sidekicks, then Dallas would’ve continued to make his case. But he knew that there was not much time, and that lives were on the line. When Pietro pulled away, he pressed his forehead against Dallas’.  
“I promise with all of my heart that I’ll always be there for you.”  
Dallas sniffed before nodding his head. Pietro smiled at his friend before charging back to their main enemy.

Considering that Pietro was nearly strangled to death when he tried to attack Apocalypse earlier, he decided to stare up at Apocalypse, anticipating for the mutant’s move. Apocalypse, detecting his opponent's fear, smiled.  
“Resilience; an admirable quality of a respected warrior. Quicksilver, I need-”  
“How the hell did you hear that name?”  
“A little bird told me. Quicksilver, I don’t think you’ve completely understood what I’m offering to you and the world.”  
“Oh, I completely understand! You want to wipe out anyone with a free, independent mind to stop this so-called cycle. You’re willing to kill the free, exploit the vulnerable, and recruit the conformists simply because you’re bored and tired of watching people fuck each other up. But that’s not even touching why I loathe monsters like you.” Pietro’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “You knew just how important my family was to me, so you decided to kill my mother and target my baby sister just to break me.”  
Apocalypse’s eyes narrowed. “How did you-”  
“A little bird told me.” Pietro slowly approached the larger mutant. “You’re not doing this for the mutant race. You kill freely, without a single trace of remorse. You couldn’t care less about our fallen brothers and sisters. You’re purging those who you feel are a threat to your master plan!”  
“I’m purging those who are weak!!” Apocalypse shouted, causing Pietro to flinch and unconsciously take a few steps backwards. “Those who are blinded and driven by arrogance, fear, and sentiment are weak! You, my friend, are far from weak! You do not let pain and sentiment incapacitate you. Like myself and Shaw, you possess the ability to adapt to the cruel, unfair world.”  
“Bullshit. There are plenty of other mutants who are capable of adapting to their environments! There’s-”  
“If you’re referring to your father, or to the group of mutants located at Charles Xavier’s mansion, then you’re wrong. They’re weaker than you think, as seen behind me.”  
Looking around Apocalypse, he saw Erik sitting against the wall with his hands clutching his head. His eyes were squeezed shut and his breathing was erratic and heavy.  
“What are you doing to him?!”  
He moved closer to Pietro. “I’m proving a point.”  
“You’re torturing him!”  
Pietro watched Erik clutch his head in pain while murmuring gibberish-sounding words. The only word he understood was “mama,” and hearing his own father yell that in despair tugged Pietro’s heartstrings. His eyes caught two figures kneeling right beside him. One of them, who he identified as Shaw, was stroking Erik’s hair in an almost loving and gentle manner. However, the grin on his face tore any traces of compassion he could’ve felt for Shaw. To Erik’s left was a red headed girl with her fingers pressed against his head. Her eyes held zero emotions or compassion, and also had no pupils, much to his confusion.  
“Do you want to know what makes your father weak?” Apocalypse asked, approaching Pietro. “Everything he’s done since his mother’s death -- all of his speeches, attacks against the government, and recruitments -- was to mask his greatest fear.”  
“Which is?”  
“Losing those left whom he considers family. What drives Erik Lehnsherr is not freedom or power, but rather fear. Imagine what would happen if I destroyed Charles and everything he’s worked for.  
“You go anywhere near them, I’ll kill you.”  
“Erik’s core is made of sentiment and vulnerability, not strength and leadership. He claims that he fights for mutant kind, but in the end, he only fights for those he loves.”  
Although this was suppose to paint Erik in a negative, less authoritative way, Pietro felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. “Which is why I’m not fighting alongside you. Pain and vulnerability doesn’t make you weak. What makes you weak is if you let those who hurt you get away with it. Erik’s been hit by the world, but he always gets back up and hits back twice as hard. That takes a lot of strength, if you ask me. And besides, even if he was weak, why the hell would you still think that’d I fight alongside an ignorant, sadistic monster like you?” With newfound strength, Pietro’s voice hardened exponentially. “You formulated a crappy plan, threatened my friends, hurt my father, and, most importantly, took my family away from me. You’re a monster, and I refuse to pledge my allegiance to someone like you.”  
Apocalypse stared at Pietro, hints of pride and accomplishment shining in his red eyes. He’ll break the speedster one way or another… even if he had to use force. Smiling, he nodded at the silver-haired mutant before turning his attention to the sealed entrance.  
“I think we’ve got some company, my boy.”  
“I’m not your boy.”  
“I’ll see you soon, Pietro Maximoff.”  
As soon as Apocalypse vanished, the cave entrance burst open, revealing Alex’s group fighting off four stone statues, -- two of them being the ones guarding the cave-- who were in form of Egyptian gods.Psylocke immediately took out her katana and joined the battle, Dallas following her a few seconds later. Pietro ran up towards the battlefield and knocked back the Sobek statue that was about to attack Alex. The blonde mutant saw the statue stumble backwards a couple of feet up the stairs and snapped his head to see his friend standing next to him

“Couldn’t have timed it any better, Pete.”  
“What can I say? I’m that good.”  
Alex rolled his eyes before sobering up. “Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine. What are you guys doing here?”  
“The professor told me that you were in serious trouble and that I should come and find you.”  
“Wait, you talked to the professor? We’ve been trying to reach him and-”  
“You couldn’t? Yeah, he said that he was having troubling communicating with you three. Must’ve been Apocalypse.” Alex glanced behind him and froze at who he saw below kneeling right next to Erik. “No way,” he breathed.  
“No what?”  
“He’s suppose to be dead!”  
“Oh, you mean Shaw? Yeah, that’s what Erik sa-wait, how do you know him?”  
“When Erik and Charles recruited me, we were residing in a CIA facility. Then, while those two were away, Shaw and his little posse attacked the facility, killed a bunch of men, and…” Alex felt his heart twist. “H-He killed a really great friend of mine.”  
Peter, seeing the hurt in Alex’s eyes, patted his friend’s shoulder in comfort. “I’m really sorry about that.”  
Alex composed himself and smiled. “It’s not your fault… Oh yeah, Shaw also nearly set off a nuclear weapon in Cuba.”  
“Cuba? You were in Cuba?”  
“Yeah. Why?”  
“It’s just that Erik mentioned something about Cuba. Apparently something serious went down there…”  
“You better believe it,” Alex muttered while continuing to stare at Shaw.  
“What happened back there?”  
“Pete… it’s-”  
A stone staff sliced between the talking mutants, nearly hitting them both. Pietro ran up to the Sobek statue, grabbed it, and shoved it down the seemingly endless amount of stairs. They both watched with amusement as the statue shattered into a dozens of pieces.  
Alex whistled for Cain. “Hey Cain!”  
When the young mutant saw what Alex was pointing at, a big smile appeared on his face. He ran down the flight of stairs, reached the damaged statue, and began to crush it underneath his weight. Pietro and Alex smirked at just how much fun Cain was having destroying an ancient artifact. Alex turned his attention back to Shaw, who was staring right at him.  
“Alex!” Shaw called from below, causing Alex’s vision to tunnel,“what a pleasant surprise! I see that you are now a big brother!”  
The blonde felt waves of rage and fury boil up in his chest. Alex’s memory of Darwin’s death by the hands of both Shaw and Alex himself, tamed the blonde’s impulsive desire to kill the bastard. There was no way history was going to repeat itself, not when little kids were here. Not when his brother was here. Alex’s blue eyes traveled down to Erik, who was still screaming in pain.  
“What’s he doing to Erik?”  
“I don’t know. But once you guys are in the clear, I’m going to-”  
Scott, who was previously fighting off a Horus statue, followed his older brother’s gaze. When his eyes landed on a man seemingly torturing Erik, he turned on his visor and shot it at the man.  
“Scotty, no!!!” Alex screamed.  
Pietro watched Shaw absorb the highly deadly element as if it were nothing. As soon as the beam reached him, it shrunk down and created a small ball that fitted in the palm of his hand. Shaw stared at the ball before looking back at Erik, who was still trapped in his nightmare. Smirking, he slowly raised the deadly weapon upwards and held it inches away from Erik’s face.  
“Shit,” Pietro breathed before charging down to his father.

As he zipped down the flight of stairs, Pietro’s mind frantically tried to put together a plan that would achieve three things: kill Shaw, free the other possessed mutant, and, most importantly, end Erik’s prolonged suffering. Pietro reached the bottom and kneeled right beside the black pyramid. It was at that moment that his ears picked up a pained, heartbreaking statement from his father.  
“Y-You’re my creator.”  
And then, as if someone had switched off all of his humanity, Pietro felt waves of pure rage wash over him. Without a second thought, Pietro charged over towards the trio and forced the red-head’s hand to touch the concentrated energy in Shaw’s palm. He then grabbed Erik and brought him over to the other side of the cave, far away from Shaw. It was when he situated Erik against the cave wall, that the possessed mutant and Shaw went flying away from each other. While the redhead landed gracefully, a confused Shaw had to scramble back to his feet. When his blue eyes met Pietro’s dark ones, he began to approach the pair. Pietro instinctively stood in front of Erik, who was slowly coming back to reality.  
“Son, do you really want to do this? Do you really want to fight for that monster behind you?”  
“Let’s be honest, Erik’s not the real monster in the room.”  
“Oh, I disagree.” Pietro tilted his head. “The only reason you were recruited to begin with was for your abilities. Even when Erik was in prison, Charles and his friends requested your help to free Erik. Since they recruited you, all they’ve been asking is for favor after favor with regards to your gifts. They exploited you, my son. They used you, and what did you get from this deal? A dead mother.” Pietro felt his confidence falter. “They never cared about you, Pietro. Their eyes were on your abilities, not who you were as an individual. Their selfishness resulted in your mother’s demise. She was the only one who truly loved you… and now look where she is because of Erik and Charles.” Tears began to sting Pietro’s eyes. “I don’t think you’ve comprehended just how alone you are, my son.” Realizing that he hit a very sensitive nerve, Shaw continued. “With us, you will never be alone. We’ll be fighting side-by-side while ensuring a world where mutants are the future. Together, we’ll fight for peace and our freedom. En Sabah Nur is giving us the opportunity to come from the shadows and create a better world for our kind!”  
“How's wiping out mutants and their families a better world? I swear, his plan is just as dumb as Erik’s decision to declare war between humans and mutants. There’s always going to be someone who will disagree with him, prolonging the cycle again. That cycle of destruction or whatever will never stop! So get this through your thick skull: I'm not joining your little club of unnecessary destruction.”  
“He’ll enhance your powers, son!”  
“I’m not your son, you limp-dick asshole!”  
“You have an incredible gift, but you’ve only begun to scratch the surface. We’ll help unlock your full potential. You’ll be able to grow and flourish in this cruel world.”  
“Thanks, but no thanks. Despite my usual impatient attitude, I’m not really in a rush to unlock my full potential, or whatever the hell you called it. Even if I was, there’s no way in hell I’d want to be anywhere near you two.”  
After a few moments of silence, Shaw smiled and turned his head to address the alive Thoth statue. “Thoth, if you please.”  
The clay statue suddenly shot out a beam of green energy from it’s eyes before turning back to the mutants. The energy beam was gently captured in Shaw’s grasp and he held it up dangerously close to Pietro’s heart. Pietro knew that if he ran in any direction, he would be hit easily. However, before he could decide his next move, he was flung back onto the ground a couple of feet away from Erik.  
“Seriously, you’ve got to stop doing that! It’s more annoying than painful.”  
Shaw strode over towards the fallen mutant and stepped on his legs to prevent him from moving. He grabbed a handful of Pietro’s silver hair and leaned down, his face literally inches away from Pietro’s.  
“You’re making a big mistake,” Shaw whispered seriously.  
Pietro swallowed before straightening his posture on the ground. “Wouldn’t be the first time, am I right?”  
“It will come back to haunt you. After all, Sabah always gets what he wants.”  
Before Shaw could harm the silver-haired mutant, a squishy sound came from Shaw’s head. The weight on Pietro’s legs, as well as the pull on his hair, instantly vanished, prompting him to crawl back as far as he could away from Shaw and his energy ball. Before he could put together what he just happened, Shaw’s now slack body when flying across the cave, hitting the wall and slumping onto the ground. The green energy ball was removed from his hand and ended up fatally hitting the Thoth statue, causing it to crumble into dozens of pieces. Pietro snapped his head back towards Erik, who was coherent and had his hand extended outwards where Shaw’s body landed. Pietro took in how exhausted and shocked Erik looked, which was a rare look by itself. Pietro stood up and walked towards his father. He kneeled down in front of him and shot him a small smile.  
“That was far out! You managed to destroy the zombie statue and kill Shaw at the same time. Two stones and one bird...or is it the other way ar-”  
Pietro stopped when he noticed Erik trembling and his eyes staring at the dirt ground. The son placed a comforting hand on his father’s shoulder and squeezed it.  
“Hey,” he said quietly, “whatever that asshole made you see wasn’t real! You’re back here in Egypt in a tomb that’s…  currently being used as a battlefield. Huh, maybe lala land wasn’t so bad, after all.” Erik slowly met his son’s brown eyes. “I’m right here, dad. I’ve got you.”  
Erik noded and stood up, with Pietro’s help. After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Erik rubbed his red eyes and looked at his son with embarrassment.  
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”  
Pietro shrugged his shoulders. “Hey man, don’t be embarrassed. All you did was get your ass handed to you by a zombie, whimper, cry out ‘mama’, and scream like a-” Realizing that Erik was turning red with embarrassment, Pietro smiled and wrapped an arm around his father’s shoulders. “I mean, your mind was getting violated...so I guess you get a free pass.”  
Erik raised his eyebrow. He composed himself and took in the scene above them. So far, two statues were lying in a crumpled heap. Alex and his group were fighting off the remaining two statues and two possessed mutants, Jean Grey and Psylocke.  
“I've missed something, haven't I?”  
“Oh yeah. You missed a lot.”  
Erik nodded. “Right then.”

He gathered some metal that was lying underneath the ground and wrapped it around Jean, who was about to levitate Dallas, who was thankfully okay, right into the air. Once he was sure that the metal was wrapped securely around her, he pulled her downwards towards the pair. While doing so, he levitated his helmet from Shaw’s lifeless corpse and placed it back onto his own head.  
“It still looks weird,” Pietro muttered.  
Erik rolled his eyes and lowered her on the ground. She began to struggle violently before glaring at Erik. He smirked and tapped his helmet. He then kneeled down in front of the mutant and began to calmly talk to her.  
“Ms. Grey? My name is Erik Lehnsherr and we’re here to help you.” Jean made a move to knock off Erik’s helmet, but the older mutant simply leaned backwards. “We’re not here to hurt you.”  
“Release me this moment!” Jean yelled. “Release me or I’ll-”  
“You’ve already damaged me. I don’t see how another hellish trip will affect-”  
“Your son.” Jean finished, catching Erik and Pietro’s attention. “Release me or I’ll make your son suffer more than you could ever imagine.”  
Erik glared at the possessed mutant, his piercing blue eyes silencing her threats. He knew that she didn’t have any control over her actions, but it still didn’t stop him from feeling protective over his son. He glanced at Pietro, who had his famous smirk plastered on his face. Erik eyed him suspiciously.  
“Trust me,” Pietro whispered to Erik. “Grey, I’m curious how you got yourself in this position. I mean, you’re a telepath, so there’s no way you agreed to Apocalypse’s plans. Well, you could’ve if you’re a sadistic bitch...you’re not a sadistic bitch are you?” Jean’s eyes were now trained on Pietro. “You don’t look like someone who would hurt anyone on purpose.”  
“You don’t know anything about me!!!”  
“You’re right, I don’t. But I have a feeling as to why you’re in this position. Apocalypse can’t possess anyone just like that. He needs permission to enter a consciousness and in order to gain said permission, he has to either convince or deceive who he wants. So what'd he do to get you on his side? Did he lie to you? Tell you that you're special and what not? Did he trick you? He tricked you, didn’t he? He did! Now, what exactly did he tell you?” Knowing that she wouldn't respond, Pietro took in a deep breath before continuing. “He and Shaw tried to convince me that Erik -- my dad, by the way-- and his best buddy exploited my abilities.” While Jean’s brow began to crease, Erik turned his attention at Pietro, interested in what his son was talking about. “Yeah, they said that I’m merely a tool for their disposal, an expendable weapon of some kind. They told me that if I worked alongside them, that I wouldn’t be alone and that my full potential would be unveiled more effectively, but that part doesn’t matter.” He leaned closer to her. “I lost Erik because of Shaw, I lost my mother because of Apocalypse, and I probably lost Lorna because I let myself get caught. I’ve lost a lot of people I care about and, honestly, I'm kind of afraid to lose anyone else. Those two assholes tried to convince me that joining them would give me a sense of power and dependence. They tried to make me feel loved. So what did they promise you? Did they promise you power enhancement? A sense of belonging? The resurrection of a dead loved one?” Jean froze at the last statement, indicating that Pietro had her. “They promised the last one! Let me guess, someone you loved died and they vowed to revive said person.”  
“Shut up!”  
“Listen to me, he’s not going to do anything he promised! He’s been killing thousands of innocent people, both mutant and human! He’s been killing almost everyone in sight! Do you really think he’s going to resurrect someone you cared about?” Jean’s breathing began to hitch. “You’re only going to hurt people if you let Apocalypse control you! I know you want that person back, but he’s not the right way to do so. Fight this!”  
The possessed Jean shut her eyes as the memories of the car crash that claimed her older sister’s life, her mother’s legs, and her father’s love appeared into her consciousness. The overwhelming pain of that loss and Apocalypse’s promise that followed years later sparked something inside her -- grief and rage. Before she knew it, her consciousness slowly overpowered the intruder inside her brain. After a couple of seconds, she almost had complete control over her mind but still felt traces of thick fog lingering inside her.  
“I’m sorry about your loss. You may be feeling angry, hurt, betrayed, or whatever, but know that everyone here who’s fighting off inanimate statues have got your back.” The red-haired mutant looked at him...sadly. “You won’t be able to grieve with Apocalypse. You’re just going to be his puppet until he has no more use of you.” Pietro was beginning to make stuff up, but it didn’t matter as long as he got through to her. “We’re going to be right by your side. I promise.”  
Feelings of sadness, hope, fury, and grief cut off the remaining hold Apocalypse had on her. However, the emotions and memories attacked her relentlessly, causing her awakening to be not so calm. As she closed her eyes, a scream ripped itself from her throat, forcing Erik and the other to clamp their ears shut. However, what really grabbed their attention was how much fiery orange and yellow was consuming her body. It almost looked like she was conjuring up fire. The colors surrounding her body soon dispersed around the cave, instantly shattering the remaining possessed statues. After a couple of seconds, her scream died down and her eyes turned back to a more normal dark green. She looked around frantically at her surroundings and eventually saw the silver-haired mutant, and the older mutant named...Erik(!), slowly meet her gaze.

“Oh god,” the silver-haired mutant said to Erik, “please don’t tell me I broke her.”  
“You didn’t,” Jean said, “but if you don’t mind, I’d like to be released from this metal trap.”  
“My apologies,” Erik said before gently unwrapping the metal from around her.  
As soon as she was free, she stretched her muscles without taking her eyes off the pair. She slowly stood up, the other mutants following her moments after. Once they all were settled, Jean smiled.  
“I-I can’t even begin to thank you.”  
“You don’t need to thank us.”  
“Still, it feels nice to have complete control over my body. So thanks…”  
“Peter,” he said as he extended his hand towards her. “I don’t think Grey is your first name, although that would be a pretty interesting name. You know, I’ve never encountered anyone who had a color as a first name. I mean, sure there are people who have lasts names like brown, red, and-”  
“Pietro,” Erik said impatiently.  
“Right. So...what’s your name again?”  
“Jean Grey,” she replied warmly while shaking his hand. She then turned to Erik and said, “I’m so sorry that I went into your mind and tortured you. I feel so awful and-”  
“Water under the bridge.”  
“Really?” both Pietro and Jean asked.  
“Well, it will take some time to recover from that experience, but I already forgave you years ago.”  
Jean still didn’t look convinced but pushed the issue aside anyway. She glanced behind her and saw a group of mutant staring down at her with curiosity, fear, and happiness. For a couple of seconds, no one made a move, but Scott finally spoke up.  
“Umm, I’m glad you’re okay... Jean?”  
“That’s correct.”  
“Great! But, l-like I said, I-I’m glad you’re okay a-and-”  
“Scotty,” Alex said from behind him.  
“Yeah?”  
“Stop.”  
Scott nodded but continued to stare at Jean, who was smiling back at him. While those two were having their intimate stare off, Erik looked at his son.  
“Did they really tell you all of that stuff? That I only saw you as an item for disposal?”  
Pietro shrugged his shoulders. “It’s no big deal. What’s done is done, am I right? Look, we’ll talk about this later, but right now we need to get all of these guys out of here.”  
“Did you believe him?”  
“Erik-”  
Before their conversation could continue, a clicking sound from above caught everyone’s attention. Looking up, they saw six yellow dots appear above the group, circling them.  
“We need to move,” Alex said.  
Everyone nodded and made their way up the long staircase, with Pietro and Erik behind the group. The two of them froze in surprise when they Psylocke, her eyes now brown, following the group.. From the corner of her eye, Ororo saw the pairs’ confused look and nodded at them.  
“Whatever Jean did, it also broke her free.” She turned to the stranger. “I never caught your name.”  
“Elizabeth Braddock.”  
“Hey Lizzie,” Pietro joyfully exclaimed, “welcome to the family.”  
Elizabeth felt the corner of her lips tug up in a smile. “We’ll talk later,” she said.  
Erik and Pietro nodded and proceeded to move closer to the exit. However, they were both cut off from the group by a giant arachnid that plopped down from the ceiling.  
  
It’s jackknife chelicerates were already pointing at the pair and it stood in an attack position.  
“Oh my god,” they said.  
The spider let out an unholy scream that made Pietro and Erik flinch. Alex and the others were already at the top, watching the scene below them. Dallas tried to reach his two partners, but the grip Alex had on his arm preventing him from doing so.  
“Guys!”  
The older mutants snapped their heads at the source of the sounds that wasn’t from the spider. Making up his mind, Erik grabbed his son by his shoulder, took off his helmet, and placed it into his son’s hands.  
“The hell are you-”  
“Run. I’ll meet you all back out there!”  
“No way! I can just carry you out of here like I usually do. Hell, we can probably take that out in less than-”  
The spider’s fang suddenly snapped wildly at the pair, forcing them to back away. Erik grabbed metal from the pyramid and sent it flying at the beast. When the metal impaled the large creature, it let out a loud screeching noise. Using this distraction, Erik shook his son for his attention.  
“Trust me, Pietro.”  
The other mutant looked at his father, unsure of what to do. His main instinct instantly told him to stay with Erik and help him fight this monster. That said, he also knew that they’d spent too much time here and needed to get their new recruits, as well as previous friends, out of Egypt. Charles and his crew were probably getting worried and impatient. Also, despite his own speed, carrying Erik’s weight slowed him down and one of them would most likely get bit by the what he assumed was venomous thing. Finally, this was the first time Erik was asking Pietro to trust him. Erik pushed his own instincts and integrity aside for him, so now he had to return the favor. Pietro looked down at the helmet in his hands.  
“Why are you giving me this?”  
“We don’t know if Apocalypse actually has left the premises. I need you to give this to Charles, tell him put it on, and keep it on until I come out, okay?”  
“But why?”  
“Because I don’t want him to become exposed to any form of telepathic attacks! Please, just do as I ask.”  
Pietro nodded. “Fine. Just be careful, will you?”  
“I will. Now go!”  
The others and Pietro zoomed out of the main layer, leaving Erik all alone with the enchanted arachnid.

 **(July 9, 1983. 11:45 AM)  
** “Bloody christ,” Charles muttered, “where could they be?”  
It has been over two hours since Doreen came running back to the jet with the alarming news. He informed Alex of the situation and hadn’t heard from him since. While he spent the majority of the wait talking to the other mutants, who were also beginning to worry, his mind kept going to dark places. Places that involved one or more of his students possessed like Raven, or Pietro and Erik’s deaths. He felt like he was about to go crazy when he felt the presence of multiple people running towards the jet.  
“Hank,” he called out, “something’s coming!”  
The genius ran outside and saw a group of things running towards the jet at full speed. Layla, Ink, and Kurt positioned themselves in a defensive stance in front of the jet, ready to attack the possible intruders. However, as the group got closer, their physical traits became more clearer. Hank squinted his eyes and saw Alex, Cain, Scott, Ororo, and the rest of his group running towards the jet.  
“It’s them, Professor!”  
Charles wheeled himself closer to the end of the jet and jumped from his seat when he was greeted by Pietro kneeling inches in front of him. Catching his breath, he smiled at the mutant. His smile then turned into a frown when he saw what was in his hands.  
“Pietro,” he asked worriedly, “where’s Erik?”  
The younger mutant took a huge breath before quickly passing on Erik’s message. “We were about to leave but then we got attacked by a giant spider creature. He told me to give this to you because we’re not sure where Apocalypse went off to and he doesn’t want you to get mind-fucked or whatever!” Before Charles could process what he said, he felt the familiar weight of Erik’s helmet being forcefully pushed onto his head. “I need to find him, Professor!”  
“Where is he now?”  
“He’s still fighting the spider. He told me to take the kids and lead them out of the pyramids, which we’re doing right now although everyone behind me are slow as snails.”  
“Remind me again, why did he want me to put on his helmet?”  
“Because Apocalypse vanished and we’re not sure where he is. And because we suspect that he has telepathic powers, Erik just wants you to be protected while he battles the spider.”  
“How selfless of him,” Charles stated in disbelief.  
“Professor, I need to go back to him and help him.”  
Charles looked at him worriedly before nodding his head. “Fine. Please be careful!!”  
Pietro smirked. “I always am.”  
With that, he was off back into the landmark.

Charles sighed and took off the helmet. To his surprise, an intense pain began to throb in his head, forcing him to put the helmet back on.  
“Bloody sod wasn’t lying,” he said to himself.  
Once the pain died away, he saw Hank and the others staring at him. While some of them were just eager to sit down in their seats, others stared at him in confusion. Charles took note of the two newcomers who looked extremely shy. He put on his famous warm smile and wheeled himself towards the red-haired mutant.  
“Good day, my name is Charles Xavier.”  
“Jean Grey,” the red-head replied.  
“Are you alright?”  
“I-I will be…” After a beat, she asked Charles, “So what’s your ability?”  
“I’m a telepath.”  
“Really? Me too!”  
Charles raised his eyebrow in surprise. “Well, isn’t this a unexpected treat!”  
“Yes, but I’m not so good at controlling my powers. When I possessed, I had absolutely no trouble controlling and using my powers. But now- now I just feel useless and dangerous.”  
He placed a comforting hand on her arm. “You’re neither of those things. You’re just afraid. When we get back to my place, I’ll teach you how to control your gifts and use them properly without hurting yourself or others.”

All of the mutant waited for Pietro and Erik’s return. The elder mutants, as well as Dallas and Layla, continually worried about the duo’s well-being, praying and hoping that they would return okay. Nightcrawler, who could sense Charles’ distress, poofed over to him.  
“Do not be afraid, sir. God is by their side, watching over them.” Charles tried to smile, but he couldn’t. “The true lord will keep them safe.”  
“Uhhh, thank you… Kurt. That is very sweet of you. It’s just-”  
“It’s Erik!” Hank cried out.  
Kurt smiled. “See? What did I tell you? God is always-”  
“Thank you, Kurt.” A beat. “Perhaps if you could-”  
“Absolutely, mein freund.”  
With that, he poofed out of the Charles’ sight. A few seconds later, he appeared right in the center of the Blackbird with Erik in tow.  
The first thing Charles noticed was just how exhausted Erik looked, almost as if he had run across the Sahara desert. Blood crusted on the side of his head mixed with the sweat. His eyes were dilated, indicating that he had a mild concussion. Smaller cuts rested on multiple parts of Erik’s face, but those were not serious. His left arm was wrapped tightly around his ribs and he winced whenever he took too deep of a breath. In the center of his left hand were two medium red dots that seemed to elicit a tiny bit of blood. Concerned, Charles touched Erik’s non-injured hand.  
“Are you alright, Erik?”  
“I’m fine,” he breathed out, wincing in the process. “Right now, we need to- where is Pietro?”  
“H-He went back to look for you!”  
All of the exhaustion and pain died instantly. “What?” He frantically looked around the jet, hoping that Charles was lying. “Pietro?!” His fear confirmed, he grabbed his friend by both of his shoulders. “Charles, we have to get him-”

Suddenly, the sandy ground began to shake violently, as if there was an Earthquake. Then, much to everyone’s horror, Apocalypse emerged from the middle Pyramid, causing **all three** of the pyramids to crumble to the ground, leaving nothing but a pile of ancient rubble.  
“PIETRO!!!”  
Despire Erik’s instinct to save his son, who was either buried alive or worse, Erik found himself paralyzed by fear when he saw Apocalypse’s growth. The omnipotent mutant was no longer seven feet tall. No. As Apocalypse emerged, he grew taller and taller. His muscles grew to be the size of boulders, while his piercing red eyes mimicked the sun. By the end of his transformation, all of the occupants in the jet were staring at a mutant the size of a mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how I imagined Apocalypse's rise in the final sequence of this chapter: http://livioramondelli.deviantart.com/art/Apocalypse-Rising-96348638
> 
> Things are really going to get angsty these next few chapter! So... be prepared :)
> 
> Questions/Comments/Concerns/Insults/Thoughts of Love?? Please feel free to write 'em down in the comments below :) I love reading them and they usually help improve my writing! Any feedback is welcome :D
> 
> Take Care and Party Hard :0)
> 
> P.S: Happy 39th Birthday, Michael Fassbender :D


	3. The God

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all :0)
> 
> Here is another (long?) chapter!! Two things: I really wanted Apocalypse and Pietro to interact more, and I also wanted the black pyramid to hold more significance! Hopefully, this chapter managed to cover both concerns of mine.  
> Reminder: this story is an AU from a story I wrote entitled X-Men: Apocalypse. I highly recommend those who may be confused by this story to check out the original first :)
> 
> Warning: Grammatical/Spelling errors and possibly slight OOC-ness!!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!!

As Pietro sped down the stone pathways to find Erik, he forced himself to suppress any thoughts that related to his father being hurt or worse. And although the idea wasn’t far-fetched at all, the speedster still remained optimistic. A couple of seconds later, he arrived at the entrance of the cave where their confrontation with Shaw, Apocalypse, and his puppets took place.  
When he looked down, the giant spider laid dead right in the center of the space. Stalagmites, as well as bits of the black pyramid, punctured the creature’s abdomen. Now where the hell was Erik? A groan laced with pain could be heard from inside the black pyramid. Without a second thought, Pietro sped down towards the landmark to find Erik.

The first thing that he noticed were the walls. Carvings and hieroglyphics -- each one of them revealing what he assumed was evolution of mutants -- were lit up by a lawn green energy sources. There were five slabs resting right in the center of the space. The four smaller ones also held individual engravings on the sides, which were highlighted by unique colors: scarlet red, licorice, cobalt yellow, and psychedelic purple. However, the main slab in the middle of the other four, was far taller. Multiple shades of green highlighted the individual hieroglyphics that were embedded into Augite material. He slowly approach the middle slab and crouched down to examine the engravings. Unfortunately, he could not read hieratic and, therefore, translate the story. Before he could explore more, the groan that brought him here appeared again.  
“Erik, is that you?”  
Pietro zipped up to a corner of the space and found Erik slumped against the wall. Releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Pietro knelt down in front of his father, taking in the wounds.  
“I got him,” Erik smirked weakly.  
“I knew you would. Come on. We gotta go.”  
He carefully pulled Erik into a standing position before looping his arm around his neck. However, before he could guide Erik towards the exit, a familiar, thunderous laugh could be heard from the entrance. Pietro looked towards the sound and saw Apocalypse calmly walking towards the pair. To Pietro’s shock, he then addressed Erik himself.  
“Thank you for your help, Famine. Your actions will not go unrewarded.”  
“Wait… what?”  
All of a sudden, the arm that was looped around his neck became rougher. The thin armor that Erik had been wearing suddenly felt like… scales. Pietro instinctively tore himself away and watched royal blue scales slowly creep up the metal-bender’s body. His muscles were becoming more feminine and slimmer. After a couple of seconds, Pietro was staring at a naked, blue-skinned women with fiery red hair, impressive muscles, and fierce yellow eyes.  
The silver-haired mutant was officially horrified. “Wh-What the hell?!”  
A tsking sound could be heard from Apocalypse. “Is that any way to treat a fellow mutant?”  
“I’ve forgotten my manners. Forgive me if I freaked out about my father shifting into-” Then it hit him. “Shifting. You’re Raven…”  
Erik and Charles fondly spoke about Raven in the mansion, highlighting her independent and strong will. Both men would also mention her inability to accept her looks. Her hypocrisy was, honestly, upsetting; a mutant who believed in acceptance… yet couldn’t even accept herself. Pietro couldn’t understand how someone that spirited and strong-minded could hold such simple insecurities and fear..  
Pietro stared at Raven, genuinely infatuated by her beauty. “Woah… Erik was right.” He smiled. “You’re beautif-” He was cut off when the mutant threw a mighty, unanticipated punch at his face, sending him to his knees. “That’s one way to accept a compliment.”  
“Flattery and self-assurance will not break her free,” the blue mutant said in a monotonous voice. “I possess my own consciousness, making my hold far more stronger and deadlier than you will ever imagine.”  
“What’d you do to get her consent? Lie?; Manipulate?; Torture?”  
“Raven gave me consent to enter her subconscious, and do not intend to leave her for a very long time.”  
Pietro shook his head. “Bullshit.” The horseman was unphase. “Really? She willinging joined Apocalypse? Why?”  
“Because, like yourself, she holds insecurities,” Apocalypse answered.  
“You told me that the vulnerable were weak, unqualified leaders. Why’d you recruit someone who-”  
“She is persistent, focused, and adaptable. Her insecurities and fears do not prevent her from advocating for mutant equality. She, unlike Erik, can still make peace with her past and insecurities, and move on.”  
With a smile, Apocalypse began to approach Pietro. Without thinking, the silver-haired mutant bolted for the exit. However, another sharp punch threw off his momentum and he fell onto the ground. He looked up at-  
“Logan?” When the man blinked, his brown eyes were yellow. “No… Not you too.”  
“It’s always the ones you least expect, kid.”  
The horseman roughly grabbed Pietro by his jacket and forced him to stand back up to face Apocalypse. “Thank you, Pestilence,” the blue mutant said before addressing the younger mutant. “Pietro-”  
“Only Erik gets to call me that,” he gritted out.  
“Do you dare talk back to a god?”  
“Only if that god is a murderous monster hellbent on exterminating this world.”  
Apocalypse suddenly appeared in front of him and struck him hard, sending him into one of the slabs. With a pained moan, the mutant repositioned himself so that he was sitting against the object.  
“Clarify this for me, Pietro: you refuse to pledge your allegiance to me, yet you’re willing to die for a man like Erik.”  
“Believe me,” Pietro gritted out, “Erik’s a far better man than you’ll ever be.”  
Apocalypse, surprised by Pietro’s steadfast loyalty, stared down at the mutant in pity. “Do you believe a righteous man would hurt those who have cared for him? Do you think a virtuous man abandons those he believes have no more value? Do you believe a good man paralyzes his best friend?”  
Those words were like a slap across the face. “What did you say?”  
The First One smiled in satisfaction. “Didn’t you know? Erik, the man you’re so keen on protecting, shot Charles and paralyzed him. He shot his best friend, took Raven from him, and left him to bleed on a beach in Cuba. His actions caused Charles to spiral into depression. By the time you met him, he was a drug addict who sacrificed his powers so he could at least experience the dignity of walking again.” Pietro looked at Famine, who nodded in confirmation. “Erik took everything away from his best friend: his legs, his sister, his powers, his loyalty, and his dignity.”  
  
This was one of those days where Pietro wished he could lock himself in his room. Better yet, it was one of those days where Pietro wished he could run as far away from any problem. During their simple yet vital moments together at the mansion, Erik had never mentioned Cuba. He never mentioned this defining moment in his, as well as Charles’, life to his own son. There was a major part of Pietro that was infuriated by this revelation: he had willinging opened up to his father, thinking that there would be no more barriers between the two of them. Now, hearing that Erik had lied to him all of these months-- out of pride, purity, or whatever -- angered him. However, the core emotion was fear. And then, as if Apocalypse had read his mind, he continued his taunting.  
“If Erik is easily willing to sacrifice Charles, or anyone who care for him, then what makes his loyalty to you certain?”  
Before Pietro could reply, he was forcefully grabbed by collar of his jacket and punched multiple times in the face by Apocalypse himself. “First Marya,” **_Punch_** “-then you,” **_Punch Punch_** “-then Charles,” **_Punch_** “-then the Brotherhood,” **_Punch Punch_** “-and now his mutant cause! It’s in his nature to hurt those who care for him!” **_Punch Punch_** “What makes you any different?”  
When the omnipotent mutant threw Pietro onto the ground, his blue knuckles were dibbled with blood. The silver-haired mutant’s face was now littered in bruises and lacerations. He slumped against the main slab, gritting his teeth in pain.  
“The only reason you are here, with those other mutants, is because he and Charles needed your abilities, and that’s all. They exploited your powers, not considering about the potential consequences their actions have on your life. And while Charles’ main mission was to rebuild his school, Erik’s main mission was to get you onto his side. Using sentiment and lies, your father persuaded you to remain with them. In order to compensate for his errors, he abandoned his mutant advocacy and wasted all of his potential keeping his son, whom he will eventually desert, by his side. Like I mentioned earlier, unlike Raven, his persistence fades away when his past comes back to haunt him.” Pietro swallowed a lump in his throat that was either there due to the physical pain, or the emotional pain. “Doesn’t it hurt? Knowing that two ‘good’ men, whom you saw as a mentor and a father, used your vulnerability and powers, for redemption and success? Knowing that in the end, you were never seen as anything important? Doesn’t it hurt knowing that your mother and baby sister died for nothing?” Apocalypse bent down and gently pulled Pietro into a standing position. “If you join us, Charles and Erik’s treatment will not be repeated. You will never have to worry about being exploited and abandoned ever again. I will enhance your abilities, and together we'll shape the world into our desires.”  
Pietro stared at Apocalypse, taking in the mutant’s offer. After a few seconds, he smirked at the mutant and pulled himself free from his hold.  
“It’s funny; Shaw said the exact same thing about exploitation and abandonment. You said that Erik and Charles used me, that Erik has continually hurt those who disagree with him, and that I won’t be different. Yet, here you are trying to convince me that being your slave will benefit the mutant race. Here you are convincing me that hurting others will be for a better cause. Here you are… telling me that abandoning my father, his best friend, and all of my friends at the mansion is the right thing to do.”  
  
Before Apocalypse could process what was just said, he felt an unmatched force ram into his side, causing him to fly into a wall. When his back connected with the Augite wall, he instantly stood up and faced Pietro, whose eyes were now filled with anger. When Famine and Pestilence tried to subdue the mutant, he merely ran three laps around the area before sending those two flying in opposite parts of the setting.  
“Your an even bigger hypocrite than Erik!” Pietro shouted, now in a defensive stance. “He may be an asshole, but at least he tries to redeem himself! At least he feels remorse towards Charles, Raven, and the others!! At least he doesn’t kill his own kind for hedonistic pleasure!”  
Suddenly, Pietro appeared in front of Apocalypse and sent twenty furious punches at the mutant’s face. “My mother is dead because of you,” **_Punch Punch Punch_** “-not because of Erik! Thousands of innocent people,” **_Punch Punch Punch Punch_** “-have been slaughtered like pigs all because of your vision! My baby sister nearly died,” **_Punch_** “-because” **_Punch Punch_** “-of” **_Punch Punch Punch Punch_** “-YOU!!!” **_Punch Punch Punch Crack Crack Punch Snap_**.  
By the time Pietro finished, Apocalypse also held his share of wounds. The silver-haired mutant’s knuckles were covered in blood, both his and his opponent’s. The blue mutant’s red eyes flashed with rage. The younger mutant continued his rant.  
“Charles and Erik may have used me, but they never intentionally hurt my family, or anyone back at the mansion, to ensure my loyalty. Both of them are still on the side of mutants, not the side of domination and annihilation. They fight for freedom and acceptance, not dictatorship and power. They’re fighting for this world, not against it… and that’s good enough for me.”  
Apocalypse shook his head in disgust and pity. “Ignorance, stubbornness, and naivety always have been traits in the Lehnsherr family. You’re making a big mistake, my son.”  
“Even if I am, there’s absolutely no way in hell I’d want to fight alongside the man who nearly killed my baby sister. That act alone sealed your fate.”  
After a tense stare off, Apocalypse sighed and cracked his large knuckles. “Fine. If you’re not willing to see the truth… then I guess I’ll have to force you.”

When Pietro charged at Apocalypse again, his fist ready to swing another punch, Apocalypse suddenly grab ahold of the mutant’s hand mid swing. The runner, who was surprised by his opponent's reflexes, tried to free him hand. However, before he could, Apocalypse himself swung a mighty punch at Pietro’s chest, sending the mutant flying into the opposite side of the pyramid. Although stunned, Pietro continued to charge towards his opponent. When Apocalypse raised his fist, the runner dodged what could’ve been a painful hit and punched Apocalypse thirty times before the omnipotent mutant register that he’d missed. Pietro was about to run back, but then, a massive hand grasped his ankle, causing him to fall flat onto his belly. He looked over his shoulder and saw Apocalypse staring down at him, eyes filled with rage. Suddenly, Pietro was swung up into the air, by the ankle, and thrown against the red slab. When his chest and head collided with the ancient item, the silver-haired mutant could hear his ribs crack. Blood from the side of his head dripped into his eye, temporarily blinding him. Before he could make a move to stand up, Apocalypse suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbed him the throat, and pinned him against the wall.  
“You’re protecting a species that has constantly turned their back against you?” Before Pietro could even rasp out an answer, the mighty hand slammed him against the wall, making stars appear in front of him. “You’re sacrificing unlimited power for two men who have only used you for their own personal gain??” Another vicious slam. “You’re willing to die for a father who’s consistently abandoned and hurt those he believes have no more value?!”  
By this point, Pietro couldn’t even focus on what was being said. His mind was too occupied by the pain surging through his back and head. Not to mention that he was, once again, being strangled to death. Before he could sink into blissful unconsciousness, Apocalypse threw him aside, sending the mutant rolling on the dirt before hitting the main slab. When he finally stopped moving, Pietro was so dizzy, and in such pain from the blows, that he couldn’t even stand properly. So instead, he tried to crawl towards the exit. When he was about halfway to the exit, Raven’s blue foot appeared and stomped on his already damaged back, sending another agonizing wave of pain. Now pinned to the ground, Pietro looked up at the possessed mutant and shot a sad smile at her.  
“They still love you, Raven,” he said.  
“Shut up!” She sent a vicious kick to Pietro’s broken ribcage. “You cannot reach her!”  
“They never forgot you…” Another kick, this time to his face. “They miss you…”  
“Raven is gone, you pathetic parasite!! Their love for her will not break her free!!”  
Pietro shook his head. “Too bad.. ‘cause they did all of this… to bring you home… ”  
That last statement set something off inside the possessed mutant. The horseman no longer held anger, frustration, or impatience in her eyes. This time, there was only pain. Despite the blood stinging his eyes, Pietro could see that he had briefly reached Raven, not Mystique or Famine. Unfortunately, the sympathy and pain in her eyes quickly vanished, and were replaced with the cold, pupil-less yellow eyes of the horseman. When he tried to stand up, an immeasurable weight landed on his back, nearly crushing him. The weight hurt his already hurt ribcage, possibly breaking even more ribs. Then, much to his surprise and horror, the weight suddenly lifted him up, like a crane, into the air. As he ascended, something tightly wrapped itself around his midsection, making it impossible to breath. He swore that he could hear the remainder of his ribs groan or crack due to the pressure. When he stopped going up, he looked to his side and was staring at a humongous Apocalypse, who had grabbed him with his enlarged hand.  
“This world will be ours!!” Apocalypse announced, his voice reverberating against the foundation. “I will cleanse the earth of the weak! I will be the enforcer of justice and death!!!” The large mutant brought Pietro closer to his face. “I will make you see Erik and Charles’ true colors.”  
With that final remark, Apocalypse slammed Pietro onto the sandy ground, like how a football player throws the ball following a touchdown. When Pietro connected with the ground, he couldn’t breath. His entire body ignited in agonizing pain. His vision tripled, and his hearing faded. During those brief seconds his vision cleared, Pietro could see just how high Apocalypse had brought, and therefore dropped, him. How he was still conscious remained a mystery. How he’d survived that fall was a miracle. He weakly turned his head to the side and saw Famine and Pestilence walk out from the black pyramid. He turned his attention back to Apocalypse, and saw the that the mutant's large hand was absorbing all of the colors inhabiting the slabs. They were giving him unlimited power. His intense red eyes became lighter, making them almost pupiless. When Apocalypse finished soaking up his powers, he looked back down at Pietro, who continued to lie on the ground, and smiled.  
“I will break you.”  
And then, Apocalypse grew exponentially in size. The enormous space that was once the pyramid now felt like a small sandbox, in comparison to Apocalypse’s increasing figure. As Apocalypse rose, rubble from both the black pyramid, as well as the older pyramids, began to descend towards the ground. Sand began to slip through the cracks and surround Pietro. The mutant wanted to run, but he couldn’t muster the strength to do so. He was simply in too much pain.  
The last thing he saw was the Great Pyramid of Giza collapse onto him.

“PIETRO!!!”  
Erik’s eyes flickered from the now crumbled landmark, to the homogeneous mutant who loomed over the rest of the mutants. When Apocalypse finished growing, he measured to be the size of a mountain, his enormous figure blocking the sun. Once the omnipotent mutant made eye-contact with the others, he slowly pulled himself from the remainders of the Giza Pyramids and began to walk towards the group. Instinctively, Erik stood in front of Charles, Alex in front of Scott, and Hank in front of the youngest mutants. Still, that did not stop all of the mutants to ignite their powers, ready to attack if provoked. When Apocalypse reached the group, he slowly shrunk back to his regular, seven-foot height. He stood face-to-face with Erik, a big smile plastered on his face. His other horsemen, Raven and Logan, appeared behind him.  
“Raven,” Charles breathed out.  
The telepath’s joy was short-lived when he remembered that his sister was possessed by a horseman, a servant of Apocalypse. Meanwhile, the omnipotent mutant, sensing Charles’ distress, smirked.  
“You cannot reach her,” he calmly said. “Any attempts to reach her, or any of my subjects, will be futile. Just ask Pietro.”  
“What did you do to him?!”  
“I merely broke him.”  
If it wasn’t for that enormous amount of amalgamated energy emerging from Apocalypse’s right hand, Erik would have eviscerated him right on the spot. Despite refusing to withhold their powers from sight, all of the mutants took a mighty step back.  
“I could destroy all of you in the blink of an eye,” Apocalypse growled. “However… I will spare all of you.”  
“Why?” Alex asked from behind.  
“Because I want you all to witness my creation. This world will be inhabited by the strong, and I want to see just how strength you all possess. However, if any of you dare to interfere with my plans, I cannot guarantee that you’ll live to see another day.” The god looked at Erik and Charles. “Stay away, or all of your students will suffer the same fate as Pietro.” Before Erik’s heart could sink, Apocalypse smiled. “I propose we put your training to the test.” He looked back at the ruined pyramids. “In twenty minutes, Pietro will suffocate underneath all of that debris and sand. If all of you can reach him before time runs out, then not only will your success reflect the quality of your training and skills, but you may also have a chance at saving his life. And if you fail…” His message across, the omnipotent mutant looked at Erik one last time. “I will see you very soon.”  
And then, in the blink of an eye, Apocalypse and his horsemen vanished. While a majority of the mutants tried to process Apocalypse’s threat, Erik was already running towards the ruins before him.  
“Erik?!” Charles cried.  
“Everybody link hands!” Kurt suddenly ordered.  
After a few hesitant moments, all of the mutants -- save for Erik -- joined hands. In an instant, the entire group was consumed by blue smoke before plopping right in front of the ruins. When everybody separated, Kurt vanished and reappeared, this time with Erik in tow.  
“Start looking for him!!”

Everybody worked rigorously, taking Apocalypse’s challenge very seriously. Jean, Psylocke, Scott, Alex, and Storm used their abilities to carefully dissolve larger stones and debris into nothingness. Hank, Cain, and Doreen relied on their strength to throw aside the rubble. Charles seriously considered using his telepathy to awaken and contact Pietro, but he didn’t know the extent of Pietro’s injuries. Forcing entrance into his mind could potentially worsen things. Dallas, who was thankful that they were directly underneath the sun, shifted into his shadow form and was about to squeeze his way through the rubble, when Charles stopped him.  
“Dallas, what are you doing?”  
“He’s buried somewhere! I can fit through the cracks and find him!”  
After a few moments, Charles nodded. “Be very careful! If you begin to have any trouble, inform me immediately!”  
The boy nodded before descending beneath the cracks. After who knows how long, and with still no sign of Pietro, a few mutants began to lose hope. But then-  
‘ _I found him!!_ ’  
Charles snapped his head up. ‘ _Where is he?!_ ’  
After a few silent moments, Dallas reappeared from the rubble. “Over here!!”  
All of the mutants snapped their heads to where the boy was standing, before immediately moving to unbury their friend. Dallas leaped over all of the mutants and ran to Charles.  
“Was he okay?” The telepath asked.  
“I-I don’t know. He was breathing odd, a-and there was a-a lot of blood. I tried to wake him up, but he-he wasn’t moving.”  
Erik, who had heard the younger mutant’s words, quickened his work. After a few more minutes, Alex felt something that wasn’t rock. When he lifted up his right hand, it revealed Pietro’s (bloody) goggles.  
“Guys…”  
While everyone else took that as a sign of hope, Erik could only see the blood. He looked at Charles, desperately seeking some kind of explanation or reassurance. Finally, after fifteen minutes of labor, Layla made the discovery.  
“I found him!!!” Layla screamed.  
Kurt immediately teleported directly above where the younger mutant was pointing. After a careful examination, the teleporter bent down and gingerly lifted up the upper half of what appeared to be-  
“Pietro,” Erik breathed out.  
With his burden secured in his arms, Kurt teleported from the ruins and onto a small sand dune away from the ruins. As he carefully placed the limp body onto the soft surface, the older mutants immediately made their way to assist the unconscious mutant.  
“Peter,” Hank called, “can you hear me? Peter?” He bent down and pressed his ear against the runner’s chest. “Kurt, I need you to teleport me back to the jet so I can prepare our evacuation. Alex and Erik, keep him immobile. We don’t know the extent of his injuries, and moving him could only make things worse. Professor, monitor his consciousness and inform me of any drastic change, okay?”  
Charles, proud of Hank’s leadership, nodded. “We’ll do whatever you say.” With that, Hank disappeared with Kurt. “The rest of you need to give Pietro some space.”  
Unfortunately, the young mutants were so worried about their friend that Charles’ order went unheard by everyone… except Scott. The younger Summer brother instantly stood in front of the approaching crowd and began to gently push people back.  
“Give them room. Everybody get back, okay?”  
Eventually, Jean and Ororo caught onto Scott’s attempts and assisted him. Erik, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious to everything that was happening around him and focused on his son.  
Pietro’s face was littered in lacerations, some big and small, and bruises. When lit up by the intense sunlight, Erik could see just how pale his son was in contrast to the blood and dark bruises on his face. The runner’s breathing was labored and wet, indicating that he most likely had a punctured lung. A quiet yet sickening wheeze could be heard whenever Pietro inhaled. His jacket was torn and covered in blood that temporarily pooled around his body before being absorbed by the endless sand. Then, ever so carefully, Erik lightly placed his hand on the Pietro’s chest, instantly snatching it away when he felt bones shift.  
“Mein Gott, what did he do to you?”  
Suddenly, Pietro coughed, causing dribbles of blood to spurt out from his mouth and travel down his chin. Alex and Erik carefully restrained him as the silver-haired mutant was coming to. When Pietro finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by a blurry silhouette looming above him.  
“Pietro,” Erik whispered, “can you hear me?” Pietro sluggishly blinked back, his eyes trying to focus on the figure above him. “We’ve got you, okay? You’re going to be just fine.” Sensing that Pietro was quickly fading, Erik looked up at his best friend. “Is it possible to extract his memories of what exactly transpired back there, without inflicting any harm?”  
Charles nodded before carefully extending his hand towards Pietro. Closing his eyes, he slowly searched Pietro’s mind. Eventually, when he tore himself away, he looked up at Erik in surprise and worry.  
“What did you see?” No response. “Charles, what did you see?!”  
The sound of an approaching jet halted their conversation. Before the Blackbird even landed a smooth surface, Hank leaped from the jet and ran towards the group with a portable oxygen mask in hand. He instantly plopped down and placed the mask on Pietro, who had lost consciousness.  
“Alright. We need to carefully transport him to the jet.”  
Following Hank’s orders, the three men cautiously carried Pietro into the jet and laid him onto the floor. As Erik carefully placed a spare blanket underneath his son’s head, Hank beckoned everyone else to carefully enter the jet. Dallas immediately took the seat that rested near Pietro’s side, while the British telepath sat on the seat opposite of the younger mutant. Meanwhile, Erik and Alex sat on the floor, carefully monitoring Pietro’s condition. Once everyone was seated, Hank started the Blackbird and they flew back to the mansion at lightning speed.

“Is he going to be okay?” Dallas squeaked.  
Nobody, not even Hank or Charles, knew the answer. But that didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered was getting Pietro back home, as soon as possible. Erik sat behind his son’s lolling head; one hand gently cupping his bruised cheek, and the other holding the oxygen mask, which now had flecks of blood, in place.  
“Don’t leave me,” Erik whispered. “Lieber Gott, please don’t leave me… ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's still more to come :) Stay tuned!!!
> 
> Questions/Comments/Concerns/Insults/Thoughts of love?? Please feel free to write them in the comments below! :D
> 
> Take Care and Party Hard :0)


	4. The Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all :0)
> 
> Here's another chapter :D
> 
> Warning: Grammatical/Spelling errors and possibly slight OOC-ness!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

**(July 10, 1983. 12:10 AM)  
** During the seven hour flight, Pietro stopped breathing. If it hadn’t been for Doreen’s sensitive ears, all of the passengers would not have caught the absence of wet, erratic breaths over the engine of the jet. While Hank did consider putting the Blackbird on autopilot to assist Pietro, it was Psylocke who took the initiative to initiate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After about a minute -- possibly the longest minute in Erik Lehnsherr’s life -- she succeeded in bringing the mutant back. After that scare, Doreen shut out the roaring engines and directed all of her attention to her friend.

When they had touched base at the mansion, the blue mutant immediately directed Kurt to carefully transport Pietro to his lab. Erik being himself, refused to leave his son’s side until they had made it into the lab. With slight hesitancy, Hank allowed the metal-bender to accompany him and Kurt on their small but vital journey. After a couple of _poofs_ , the trio, as well as their charge, landed right in Hank’s laboratory. While the blue mutant hastily grabbed all of the necessary equipment for examinations and operations, Erik carefully lifted his son onto the medical table. Obeying Hank’s orders, he cautiously removed Pietro’s jacket, now leaving the unconscious mutant in his (bloody) blue and white long-sleeved shirt. In Erik’s mind, removing the garment was like disabling a bomb; one simple slip could result in devastation. He then proceeded to strip Pietro of his shoe (he lost the other one in the rubble) and socks, before slowly stroking his silver hair.  
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m right here, Pietro. You’re going to be fine. I’ve got you.”  
By the time Hank had set up everything he needed, Charles had made his way to the laboratory.  
Following Apocalypse’s threat, the telepath remained in a state of paranoia. Fears that omnipotent mutant had planted traps at the mansion -- ranging from explosives to attack by other possessed mutants -- or even destroyed the facility all together consumed him. During the trip back, Charles had created a plan in scouting the entire facility as soon as they arrived. Led by the Summer brothers, the remaining mutants, Kurt included, divided up and search the entire campus, checking for any intruders or traps. Thankfully, Jean and Psylocke were also telepaths, so they communicated with Charles about their individual group’s findings. Doreen and Dallas, who initially protested to stay by Pietro’s sides, also aided their groups with their enhanced senses, particularly hearing and smelling. When both teams had confirmed that there was nothing to worry about, the telepath has sent them all to their quarters to get some much-needed rest. Now alone with his thoughts, he directed all of his attention to Erik, whose mind remained the loudest following their rescue.  
When he had made it to Hank’s place, he came across the site of a metal-bender and a blue mutant arguing.  
“I’m not leaving him!”  
“Erik, I need to work alone!”  
“I’ll sit in a bloody corner like a toddler or an abused dog, if I have to! But I’m not leaving!”  
By this point, Charles could detect that Erik was long past a state of calmness and logic. “Erik-”  
“I can’t leave him.”  
“Erik, we’re wasting time arguing.”  
“I’m not abandoning him!!!”  
The genius and the telepath were shocked by the emotion behind Erik’s outburst. After a few moments of silence, Charles wheeled himself to his friend and began to calmly ground him.  
“Erik, you are not abandoning him. Hank and I sympathize with your instinct to stay with your son. I know it may be hard, but you need to let Hank do his job. Don’t you trust him?”  
“With my son’s life? I wouldn’t even trust myself with his life.”  
“You’re not the only one who cares about him, Erik.” Hank quietly yet firmly countered. “He’s like a brother to me and a lot of people here. I’ll do everything in my power to heal him, but I’ll need to do this alone.”  
Despite the hesitancy and pain in Erik’s eyes, the mutant finally nodded. Hank placed a comforting paw on his mentor’s shoulder.  
“Thank you, Erik. Everything is going to be okay.”  
The metal-bender slowly nodded before allowing his best friend to escort him out of the medical room.

Now, five hours later, Charles and Erik were sitting outside of their former student’s laboratory. During their long wait, Charles had patched up Erik’s own wounds. Thankfully, his father and Hank had taught him basic medical training that allowed him to take care of Erik’s injuries properly. And because Erik’s ribs were only bruised, Charles only had to tend to small lacerations, as well as wrap the bite on his left hand. Once that was taken care of, the duo played rounds of chess that would quickly be forgotten due to their fears for the mutant just behind the metal doors. Finally, the telepath showed the metal-bender Pietro’s memories of the events that transpired in the Giza pyramid before its collapse. While both men were absolutely sickened by the abuse Pietro endured, what really struck them were Apocalypse’s taunts about Raven, exploitation, abandonment, and themselves.  
“Do you think Pietro believed Apocalypse?” Erik asked.  
“He fought back, didn’t he? They couldn’t have had an effect if he fought back.”  
“Or… they could’ve affected him, yet his mind, in the heat of the moment, tried to deny them through combat.” Erik ran a hand through his unkempt hair. “What about Raven? She willingly joined Apocalypse because of insecurities we probably created.”  
“She’s always struggled with her appearance, Erik. There’s no way we are to blame for her allegiance with Apocalypse.”  
“Are you sure about that?” He leaned closer to his friend. “We never did ask her about how her looks made her feel. Instead, we forced acceptance and self-assurance onto her. Rather than persuade and force her to accept herself… maybe we should have let her figure herself out on her own terms.”  
There was a part of Charles that absolutely knew that Erik was right. They weren’t Raven and, therefore, would never experience and see her insecurities the same way. As they learned with Pietro, what they perceive as one thing, may mean something entirely different for another. However, as her big brother, Charles could not simply watch Raven sulk in sadness. All he could see in her was beauty, both external and internal. He always presented her with pride and affection, hoping that his level of optimism would eventually reach her. But, as Erik stated, you can’t expect those to see things the way you see them… so why force it?  
“We’ll get her back, Erik,” Charles said in a determined manner. “We’ll bring her home and apologize to her. After everything we put her through, it’s the least we can do.”  
His friend nodded before looking back at the metal doors for the millionth time during the last seven hours. Before they could continue, Dallas and Alex appeared down the hallway. Before Charles could question their arrival, Alex filled them in.  
“Dallas refused to sleep. He kept asking about Pete up to the point where he tried to sneak out of his room. Jean and Psylocke didn’t have the heart to knock him out, so here he is.”  
Charles wanted to scold the boy, but he knew just how special his bond was with Pietro. It wouldn’t be fair to deprive Dallas information about Pietro’s condition. Sighing in defeat, he beckoned the boy to sit on his lap, a suggest Dallas happily obliged to. After a few more minutes of small talk, the doors finally opened. All four males immediately made their way towards Hank, who had an unreadable expression on his face.  
“Well?” Erik asked.  
The metal-bender could see Hank struggle with conjuring up the right words, causing dread to wash over him and nearly send him onto his knees. Alex glanced at Dallas before turning to his friend..  
“Did you want us to leave?”  
The genius, who had shifted back to his human form, looked at Erik. “It’s his call.”  
“Just tell me what is going on,” Erik replied.  
With that, Hank beckoned all four mutants inside.

When their eyes fell on Pietro, who was lying shirtless on the medical table, a feeling of grief fell over all of them.   
Despite his chest being tightly wrapped in bandages, ugly shades of black and blue could be seen. His entire front displayed painful bruises and lacerations. His face had gashes, some that required stitches, and bruises. However, now that his face was rid of blood, he looked better than when he did eight hours ago. Both of his knuckles has cuts on them, as a result from confronting Apocalypse. There was a nasal cannula attached to his nose, providing him with fresh oxygen he was probably deprived of underneath all of that sand and rubble. IV’s containing nutrients and blood rested on either side of the table. All in all, Pietro still looked like hell. As Erik moved to stand beside his son, Alex broke the silence  
“Well, what do you have?”  
Hank awkwardly adjusted his glasses. “The good news is that most of his physical wounds will heal. A majority of them are superficial, and while some will leave scars, Peter will look a lot better in a few days. He suffered a grade two concussion, but a loss of consciousness isn’t associated with his head wound. I won’t be able to diagnose the lasting effects of his concussion until he regains consciousness.”  
“When will that be?” Erik asked.  
Hank shrugged his shoulders. “Considering his other injuries, I’d say around five to six hours.”  
“Are there any other injuries we should be aware of?” Charles asked.  
“Peter’s ribcage is damaged possibly due to the weight of the rubble. They were either broken, cracked, or badly bruised.”  
“Was that why he was coughing up blood?” Dallas sheepishly asked.  
“Kind of. One rib punctured his lung, but I managed to stabilize that. Thankfully, he didn’t require tracheal intubation. So while it may be painful for him to breathe, at least he’s capable of doing so without the assistance of a machine. Pete coughing up blood was also due to some internal bleeding, which I’ve been struggling to heal. I managed to temporarily stabilize the damage, but I’m not sure if it’ll hold. We’ll just have to wait and see.”  
“Is that all of the bad news?” Alex asked.  
There was a flash of sorrow in Hank’s eyes that Erik caught, but he swallowed his fears and let his former student proceed.  
“Before I patched him up, I did the usual check-up procedure: I checked his heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, etc. When I checked for nerve responses…”  
Hank shook his head, struggling to get out the last part. “Get on with it!” Erik snapped, his worry overpowering his impatience and anger.  
After a few seconds, the genius looked directly into Erik’s eyes. “There… were none from the waist down. Whether it be due to Apocalypse’s attack or the collapse of the pyramids, Peter’s spine got severed… He’s paralyzed, Erik.”  
Dallas let out an involuntary sob and buried himself against Charles’ chest. The telepath, who was still processing Hank’s diagnosis, numbly wrapped his arm around the boy’s small frame. Alex shook his head in denial, not willing to accept the fact that his friend suffered this badly. Meanwhile, Erik’s world went silent. It was almost as if someone had taken his entire reality and smashed it into a million, irreparable pieces. All of the voices sounded distant; muddled, even. Eventually, Charles cleared his throat and looked at Hank.  
“How serious is it?”  
“It’s a C-8 spinal cord injury. If his high-cervical nerves were damaged, then Peter wouldn’t even be able to move his arms or neck. C7-C8 tetraplegics have varying degrees of pectoral muscle use, resulting in varying strengths. He’ll still be able to rotate his neck and speak without any trouble. Abdominal muscles and mid to lower back muscle use, as well as leg muscle use, will be lost. He’ll have some control over his hands, but will most likely experience spasms and occasional numbness. He’ll be able to independently feed himself and transfer himself to multiple locations, from his bed to a chair to a car. Based on his injury, he won’t have complete control over his bladder, but with some training and special equipment, that could change.”  
“So basically Peter’s worse than Charles, but better than Stephen Hawking,” Alex concluded.  
“That’s… one inappropriate way to look at it.”  
“Is it permanent?” Charles asked.  
“Based on the injury itself, as well as some internal bleeding that most likely assisted his condition, I’d say… yes.” Hank looked at Erik, who continued to stare at his son. “Erik, I am so sorry.”  
The only words Erik heard throughout that entire exchange of information were “paralyzed”, “permanent”, and “yes”. If Alex hadn’t snatched a nearby stood, the metal-bender would’ve surely collapsed onto the floor. He was so lost in translation that he missed everyone’s concerned gazes. Charles, without even having to dip into his friend’s mind, could detect the absolute grief, rage, and fear inside Erik’s mind.  
“Thank you, Hank. You have Erik’s utmost gratitude.” The metal-bender himself absently nodded, half aware of what was being spoken. “Well… I suggest that we all get some rest. You all have earned it.”  
“What about-”  
“I’m staying here,” Erik said, his voice deprived of any readable emotion.  
“Erik, you need to get some proper rest in an actual bed.”  
“I’m fine here.”  
“Erik-”  
“Leave me alone…”  
Knowing that there would be no reasoning, all of the mutants accepted their defeat. Hank quickly checked over Pietro’s vitals and medical equipment one last time before placing a reassuring hand on his former mentor’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Erik.”  
As he exited the laboratory, Dallas walked up to the medical table, stood on his tippy toes, and placed a small kiss on Pietro’s head. “Get well soon, Pete.”  
Alex stared at Pietro’s unmoving form to silently wishing his close friend a good night’s rest. When he guided the boy out of the lab, the famous duo remained. The only sound that could be heard was Pietro’s labored breaths, each pained inhale tugging at Erik’s heartstrings. Without warning, he stood up and grabbed four blankets from a cabinet. He then folded one comfortable blanket and carefully situated it underneath Pietro’s head. The second blanket was tucked around the silver-haired mutant, providing the bare-chested mutant some warmth. That task complete, Erik summoned a living room chair and place it right beside the medical table. He collapsed onto the semi-comfortable seat and wrapped the remaining two blankets around his own form.  
Erik, according to Charles, was moving in a very mechanical manner. There was no emotion or purpose in his movements and facial expressions. It was almost as if someone had replaced Erik’s ambitious nature and replaced it with a robot.  
“Erik-”  
“What am I going to tell him?”  
The fear and devastation in Erik’s voice was overwhelming, nearly causing the telepath to shed some tears. “We’ll figure something out. Together. Okay?” Realizing that Erik’s attention was back on his son, Charles wheeled himself closer to Pietro before placing a gentle hand onto the mutant’s forehead. “I wish you the best of dreams, Pietro.” As the word’s left his mouth, he sent waves and waves of warmth and serenity into Pietro’s confused and weak mind. When the task was done, he looked back up at Erik.  
“Everything will be okay, my friend.”  
For the first time in a while, Erik finally met his friend’s gaze, no optimism or hope reflecting in his blue eyes. “No it won’t…”  
Sighing, Charles rubbed his friend’s bicep in a comforting manner before exiting the medical room.

Until Erik succumbed to sleep, he spent the remainder of the night keeping vigil over his son, trying to conjure up the best way to inform Pietro of the accident and its devastating repercussions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the next chapter will be the final one :) Hopefully, I'll have that up by sunday.
> 
> Questions/Comments/Concerns/Insults/Thoughts of love?? Please feel free to write them down in the comments :D
> 
> Take Care and Party Hard :0)


	5. The Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all :0)
> 
> I apologize for the delay!!! I've been very busy with work, as well as other stories :/ Here's another chapter!!! I will go back and make more changes, but I just wanted to post this :) Thanks for the patience and support :D
> 
> Warning: Grammatical/Spelling errors and possibly slight OOC-ness!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!!!

**(July 10, 1983. 09:43 AM)  
**   
Erik groggily opened his eyes to find Pietro still asleep. However, seeing a blue form standing on the opposite side of the table was like having cold water being thrown on him. Traces of sleep gone, Erik shot out of his chair to see-

“Kurt? What on earth are you doing here?”  
The scally blue mutant looked at the older man, his familiar yellow eyes holding acceptance and hope. “I’m just praying for Peter’s health.”  
Erik shook the remaining cobwebs from his brain. “Wh-What? Why?”  
“I was informed about Peter’s paralysis, and I wanted to offer him my support.”  
The events of last night hit Erik hard. He had hoped that all of that was merely a nightmare, or some kind of hallucination. But unfortunately, Kurt’s words only confirmed that Pietro’s paralysis was a reality. Suddenly, as if a switch had turned on, Erik felt anger creep in his veins.  
“You’re praying to a god that has turned his back on this crumbling world? You still follow a god who allowed all of this devastation to occur? You still believe in an unseeable force that permitted global mass genocides?”  
Despite the arguments, Kurt’s familiar yellow eyes held no reconsideration or pessimism. “Of course.”  
“Why? Why do you invest all of your hope into a god who may or may not exist? What could you possibly see in an invisible man who ignores the slaughter of our kind?”  
“Because in the end, he’s always answered our prayers. I do not understand why your faith in him has faltered.”  
Erik’s anger only increased. “Why has my faith in God faltered? Perhaps it’s due to the fact that everyone I’ve ever cared for has perished by the hands of homosapiens. Perhaps it’s because I had my family stripped from me when I was being tortured in Auschwitz.” As he continued, some metal began to groan. “Maybe it’s because an omnipotent mutant slaughtered my ex-girlfriend and nearly killed my own son!! Maybe because no matter how hard I try, I, and the people I love, always get the short end of the stick!!!”  
“Mein freund, I meant no harm.” Erik, who realized that he could potentially damage the table Pietro was resting on, forced himself to calm down and listen to Kurt’s case. “It is possible to have hope in times of absolute uncertainty. Never underestimate the faith one has in another. Look at you and Charles.” The anger switched off instantaneously.  
“Whether you agree or not, you two have a long history together that often revolves around the hardships you both have endured and inflicted on one-another. Those hardships have since created hostility and big gap between you two. But there is a reason you two are here, together.”  
“God?”  
“Perhaps. But I was thinking more along the lines of faith… in each other. Despite all of your errors and pain, the two of you managed to unite and create this heavenly facility where mutants can feel free and safe. You and Charles had faith in each other, and that has since created the Garden of Eden. None of this,” he continued as he motioned around the facility, “would have been possible without your unwavering faith in each other. My faith in God sees no end because I believe that he will stand beside me during these dark times, just like the two of you have stood beside each other.”  
Erik stared at Raven’s son for a few seconds before looking down at Pietro. “It’s just… difficult to believe in someone who has caused so much pain.”  
“Who knows… forgiveness and miracles are never far. ”  
Erik smiled at the blue mutant, genuinely touched by the mutant’s innocence and unwavering faith. He watched Kurt perform chants and prayers directed towards Pietro. A few minutes later, Kurt nodded to Erik and placed the Bible into his coat pocket.  
“Now what?”  
“Now… all we have to do is wait.”  
And then, as if on cue, Charles wheeled himself into the facility. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but I do believe Pietro is beginning to come around.”  
While Erik immediately channeled all of his attention to his son, Kurt bowed in respect. “I shall leave you three alone now. Goodbye, meine freunde.”  
“Goodbye Kurt,” Charles warmly replied back.  
Right before the blue mutant consumed himself in smoke, Erik briefly spoke up. “Thank you.”  
With a polite smile, the teleporter exited the room.

The duo impatiently waited for the younger mutant to awaken, with Erik unconsciously rubbing his son’s bicep in a gentle yet frantic manner. Meanwhile, Charles himself quickly dipped his consciousness into Pietro’s and gently encouraged the boy back to the real world.  
After what felt like a decade later, Pietro finally revealed his dark eyes. Looking in Pietro’s eyes, Erik could see those dark irises slowly adjusting to the brightness of the medical wing. The metal-bender could see the confusion and exhaustion laced in his son’s eyes. His instincts and heart mercilessly screamed to find something, anything, that would ease Pietro’s pain. Hell, even the telepath could hear his friend’s mind desperately trying to conjure up some kind of practice that would comfort Pietro while also preserving his own dignity. Eventually, Pietro’s eyes met his father’s, prompting the older mutant to finally exhale.

“E-Erik?”  
The metal-bender confirmed his identity by nodding his head, and while unconsciously adjusting the nasal cannula. “Yes, Pietro. I’m right here.”  
“Welcome back,” Charles added as he moved closer to the table. “How are you feeling?”  
“I’m...not sure.”  
When Pietro weakly tried to push himself into a sitting position, he was instantly pushed back down by a pair of warm hands. “We’re not sure about the extent of your injuries just yet,” Erik lied, unable to break the horrible news to his son just yet. “Just lie back down and rest.”  
Complying with his father’s recommendation, Pietro licked his dry lips and asked, “What happened?”  
Realizing that Pietro had gone without water for nearly twenty-four hours, Erik reached for the prepared glass and bent the straw down towards his son’s lips. “Slowly. Try not to make yourself ill.”  
When the first few sips went down Pietro’s dry throat, that was when the mutant registered just how thirsty he really was. He began to sip more aggressively, desperate to quench his thirst and dull the pain in his throat. After half a glass, Erik pulled it away from Pietro, much to his dissatisfaction.    
“More,” he rasped out.  
“Later.”

When he set the glass down, Erik could see just how much energy it required for Pietro to merely drink water. The pre-existing exhaustion in his eyes amplified. It was only then that Erik remembered that he carried the burden of breaking the news to his son about-  
“What’s the last thing you remember,” Charles gently asked.  
Pietro closed his eyes, his brow scrunching up either due to his attempts to produce any memories, or due to the pain in his chest. “I… remember Apocalypse… and slabs… and rubble…”  
“After the multiple blows to the head, I’m not entirely surprised that your memories may be off. Give it some time, and perhaps more will come back to you.”   
Pietro’s eyes slowly morphed from understanding to confusion and fear. “The others?”  
“They are all fine, Pietro. They’re just worried about you, is all. They’ll be glad to hear that you have woken up.”  
After a few moments of silence, Pietro’s eyes narrowed. “You’re hiding something.”  
Although his heart skipped a beat, Charles’ calm bravado remained sturdy. Erik’s, on the other hand, was beginning to falter.  
“What are you talking about?” the telepath asked.  
“Lorna… always gave me that look… whenever she did did something wrong. It’s not as convincing as you think it is. So… what aren’t you telling me?”  
Charles anxiously shifted in his chair while directing his gaze towards Erik. He didn’t need to dip into his friend’s consciousness to feel the guilt, sorrow, and hesitancy consuming the metal-bender’s mind… and heart. And then, before any of the elder mutants could speak, Pietro’s shaky hand reached for his legs.  
“Wh-What the hell?” Despite his weakened state, the silver-haired mutant continued to rub his numb legs. “Wh-What is- What- I-I don’t-”  
“Pietro,” Erik began, “you need to stay ca-”  
“M-My legs… Why c-can’t I-I feel my legs?!”  
At this point, Charles was overwhelmed by the distress radiating off of Pietro. Whenever he tried to telepathically calm the mutant, he was met with a blockade of some sorts that pushed away any intrusion whatsoever. Meanwhile, Erik was focusing on restraining his son, all while conjuring up different words of comfort that would calm the distressed mutant.  
“Pietro, I know you’re scared! You must calm down before you agitate your wounds further!! Please Pietro, I need you to calm your mind!!!”  
“Calm my mind?!” Pietro asked incredulously. “I can’t feel my goddamn legs!!!”  
“We will update you on why that is, but you must calm down.”  
Eventually, Charles managed to gain access to Pietro’s consciousness and soothed the jumbled mind with words of reassurance and comfort. Directing all of his energy into Erik and Charles’ pleas, Pietro finally calmed down… to a certain degree. Fear and devastation still lingered in the depths of his consciousness, but he forced himself to suppress them. With the environment finally calm, Erik reluctantly broke the news.  
  
“After the Giza Pyramids collapsed, the entire team searched for you amongst the rubble. When we did find you, there were a laundry list of injuries that Hank managed to stabilize while you were unconscious. However… the only one he couldn’t treat was a C-8 spinal cord injury.” Although Pietro’s eyes clearly indicated that he knew what was being conveyed, Erik still pressed forward. “Whether it be due to your confrontation with Apocalypse or the collapse of the Pyramids, your spine got severed.”   
He stopped when he saw tears slowly exiting his son’s dark eyes and making their way down the side of his bruise and cut-covered face. Abandoning pride, Erik began to gently stroke the silky silver hair. Meanwhile, Charles relocated himself as close to the table as possible and placed a comforting hand on Pietro’s shoulder.  
“I’m… unbelievably sorry, my friend.” Oblivious to Charles’ words, Pietro continued to silently cry. “Everything will-”  
“Don’t,” Pietro gritted out, failing to control the emotions that poured from him like a waterfall. “You don’t have the right to tell me that everything will be fine.”  
“Pietro-”  
“You still have your telepathy, right?” Despite the bite in the mutant’s tone, Erik continued to stroke his son’s hair. “You didn’t lose your gifts.”  
“Pietro, this setback does not discredit your importance here,” Charles firmly stated. “Your intelligence-”  
“YOU STILL HAVE YOUR GODDAMN POWERS!! YOU STILL HAVE YOUR IDENTITY!!!!” The emotions he’d struggled to suppress finally broke through the barrier. “You still have the thing that makes you… you,” he muttered miserably. “It’s only a matter of time before you both ditch me.”  
Erik did a double take, his mind struggling to comprehend what was said. “What are you talking about?”  
“You’ll find something, or someone, that will be your ‘deus ex machina’ -- your solution to defeating Apocalypse and bringing Raven back home. Once you find it, nothing will stop you two from pursuing it. This mission is too important to you two. Once you find the lead, you’ll abandon me and-”  
“That’s absolutely ludicrous!”  
“That’s what you did to Charles!!!”  
Erik looked like he’d be punched in the stomach. He felt the wind get knocked out of him. His whole world tunneled, pinpointing the moment the bullet severed Charles’ spine; the moment he left his best friend and fellow students on the beach.  
“My home, my friends, my family, my legs, and now my purpose: I lost everything.”

As Pietro continued to unravel, Erik remained in a state of shock; his son’s words reverberated in his mind, consuming his heart. Meanwhile, Charles leaped into Pietro’s consciousness and wrapped his distressed mind in a warm blanket. He tried comfort the devastated mutant, silently conjuring up promises and optimism. He knew that his attempts were vain, but that still didn’t prevent him from trying to provide the boy some consolation. Eventually, exhaustion finally caught up with Pietro and effectively pulled him back into unconsciousness. As Charles sent warmth and pleasant dreams into the mutant’s mind, Erik wordlessly stood up from his stool and walked away.  
“Erik?”  
The metal-bender ignored his friend’s calls and numbly walked away from the devastation he caused, from his son that he’d failed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go :D
> 
> Questions/Comments/Concerns/Insults/Thoughts of love?? Please let me know and write them down :D
> 
> Take Care and Party Hard :0)


End file.
